The Nation April 01, 2013

Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

Anxiety over First Lady’s well-being

NEWS

•No cause for alarm, says aide

Page 4

Crisis can consume PDP, says Oyinlola NEWS Page 5

•Sacked secretary writes Shema panel

www.thenationonlineng.net

VOL. 8, NO. 2445 MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH

N150.00

Bloody Easter day in Kano Soldier, 14 others killed in JTF, Boko Haram gun battle Sect’s building razed; 14 AK 47, explosives seized From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

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T was a bloody Easter Day in Kano yesterday.

No fewer than 15 persons, including a soldier were killed in a gun battle between the Joint Task Force (JTF) and suspected Boko Haram elements. The sect lost 14 members. The dead soldier was said to be from the 3 Brigade of the Nigerian Army in Kano.

Scores, among them another soldier, were injured in the clash, which occurred in the Anguwa Uku area of the ancient city. They have been taken to the hospital.

A Golf car bearing explosives was seized when the JTF stormed a building suspected to be the sect’s hideout in Yan-Awaki.

JTF spokesman Captain Ikedichi Iweha said the building was demolished and some dangerous weapons recovered.

The recovered items include 14 AK 47 rifles; four 50-litre drums laden with explosives; 51 other small drums and 10- milk tin sized Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

The victims, it was learnt, were blown up by explosives detonated by the militants when the JTF cordoned off the building.

The interception of the Golf car prevented what would have been another disaster in Kano yesterday.

At the time of this report, security operatives were combing the area for fleeing members of the sect. Some adjoining buildings where they are believed to be hiding are under surveillance.

Church services did not hold in Hotoro, Mariri and Badawa for fear of attack.

Before Easter, security had been beefed

•The demolished building...yesterday

PHOTOS: KOLADE ADEYEMI

•Some of the recovered weapons ...yesterday

Continued on page 4

Our situation could have been worse, says Jonathan

P •Dr. Jonathan

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan yesterday spoke of the efficacy of prayers on the affairs of the country.

But for prayers, he said, the security challenges could have been worse.

The President spoke at an Easter Service at Our Saviour’s Church Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos. It was his first Easter celebration in Lagos since coming to office in 2011.

He was reacting to his administration’s challenges, particularly insecu-

•Pope prays for peace in Nigeria •Gowon backs amnesty for Boko Haram

By Eric Ikhilae, Wale Ajetunmobi and Austin Ehikioya, Abuja

rity fuelled by Boko Haram insurgency in the North and kidnapping in the Southeast and Southsouth .

At the Vatican, Pope Francis called for diplomatic solutions to the socio-

political problems in Nigeria, Mali, Democratic Republic of Congo and Central Africa Republic (CAR).

Promising not to give up, the President said he remained committed to keeping the country one, promoting peace and improving infrastructure.

Jonathan whose speech was inter-

rupted by power cut, said irregular electricity supply would become a thing of the past from next year.

Jonathan expressed delight at the presence of former Head of State Gen Yakubu Gowon at the service, praising the former ruler for his efforts at ensuring that the country remains united.

The President said while Gowon supported the use of arms during the war, he has since picked up the Bible Continued on page 4

•SPORTS P23•CEO P32•JOBS P37 •POLITICS P43•MOTORING P45

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

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NEWS CHINUALUMOGU ACHEBE (1930 -2013)

‘Achebe’s

•Adamawa State Governor Murtala Nyako presenting a souvenir to the former Head of Service of the Federation, Alhaji Isa Sali , during a civic reception in honour of Sali in Yola...at the weekend.

Richard Dowden, the director of the Royal African Society, who accompanied the late Prof.

Chinua Achebe to Nigeria on his last visit in 2009, pays tribute • Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi (left), National President, Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar (middle) and National Deputy President, NLC, Comrade Promise Adewusi, when they visited the governor in AdoEkiti.

• Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam (middle), Deputy Governor Steve Lawani and Federal Road Safety Commission ( FRSC) Corps Marshal, Osita Chidoka, during Chidoka’s advocacy visit to Benue State.

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CONVERSATION with Chinua Achebe was a deep, slow and gracious matter.

He was exceedingly courteous and always listened and reflected before answering. In his later years he talked even more slowly and softly, savouring the paradoxes of life and history. He spoke in long, clear, simple sentences which often ended in a profound and sad paradox. Then those extraordinary eyes twinkled, his usually very solemn face would break into a huge smile and he would chuckle.

He had a look of Nelson Mandela about him. Both have that ability to look very stern and solemn and then break into a huge smile. It happened when they met each other in South Africa, his daughter, Nwando, told me. At first the two men just looked at each other and then burst out laughing as if recognising their brotherhood. Both romantic about Africa’s traditions, they talked and talked.

Mandela had read Things Fall Apart when he was in prison on Robben Island and he said of Achebe: “The writer in whose company the prison walls fell down.”

He also shared Mandela’s care for ordinary people. I noticed how cleaners and nurses and others who cared for him were treated as friends.

His life was itself a paradox. He was of that first generation of ordinary Africans to receive western education. Until then only the sons of chiefs were sent to school. He loved and gloried in the education he had been lucky enough to receive – a typical British public school routine and curriculum. Nor had he any complaints about the benefits that modern technology had brought to Africa. But he was also a fierce defender of African traditions and the right – duty even – of all Africans to live by them and respect them. He wanted

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•From left: Justice Mojisola Olatoregun -Ishola of the Federal High Court, Asaba division, Mrs. Abimbola Akeredolu and Mrs Funke Adekoya (SAN) after a thanksgiving service at the Church of the Pentecost, Festac Town, Lagos to celebrate Mrs. Akeredolu's appointment as Ogun State Commissioner for Justice and Attoney-General ...yesterday.

PHOTO: SOLOMON ADEOLA

HE death last week of the Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe has summoned forth a torrent of tributes, eulogies and interpretations of his work. All I can add is the story of how I showed up uninvited at his doorstep.

In 1985, the International Herald Tribune sent me to Nigeria for a week to report on the country’s turbulent oil-based economy, even though I had never been to Africa and knew little about it. As part of my preparation, I read Mr. Achebe’s novel “Things Fall Apart” and his political lament “The Trouble With Nigeria.” His blunt, concise style of writing impressed me.

I found the capital city of Lagos a sweltering chaos where the main occupation seemed to be standing in traffic and waving merchandise for sale – food, telephones, toilet paper, whatever you might need.

• The late Prof. Achebe

the two cultures to meet as equals. It was not about civilization replacing barbarism.

This was not merely philosophical. It was personal. His father, a Christian missionary who laboured tirelessly as a church worker and builder of churches, encouraged his son to read – especially the Bible. His father’s uncle however kept the traditions and when his nephew tried to convert him, the uncle showed him the insignia of his traditional Igbo titles – which he would have had to renounce if he became Christian. “What shall I do to these?” he asked. Achebe interpreted these words as: What do I do to who I am? What do I do to history?

The dilemma which separated his father from his great uncle haunted Achebe all his life. His books are set in the time when the old world was being destroyed, lost or abandoned and a new world of modernity, mediated by the West, was being imposed on Africa. His five novels trace the story from the coming of the white man, through to Nigeria’s independence and self government and its failure to deliver on its promises. His books were prescient about Nigeria’s failures.

When I

By James Hagerty

You apparently could accomplish your weekly shopping while stuck in traffic.

Making appointments with government officials was futile. You had to show up at their offices, hand over a name card and wait indefinitely with the other mendicants. In the evenings, I drank Star beer at the Eko Holiday Inn’s poolside bar while chatting with the prostitutes or cynical British salesmen who moaned about the maddeningly un-British way things worked in Africa.

One night, after attending dinner at the home of an American banker, my host instructed one of his Nigerian servants to escort me out to the street and help me find a taxi. While the jovial servant and I were waiting at the roadside for a cab, a soldier jogged up.

Without any sort of introduction or

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

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NEWS CHINUALUMOGU ACHEBE (1930-2013)

memory’ll last long as Africa’ ‘ ‘ W We went to see the home that he had built for his family, complete with its own power and water supply and a lift that would take his wheelchair. It was close to completion and he wanted to live out his final years there but the medical services he needed were not available and his family persuaded him to stay in the US. Sadly that was his first and last visit to that house

In A Man of the People, published in 1966, he describes a coup – which promptly happened in reality.

Whichever way he looked at it, the British seizure and creation of what is now Nigeria was a catastrophe. In Things Fall Apart the impetuous and uncompromising traditionalist, Okonkwo, tries to resist the British by force and ends committing suicide in the forest. In the next novel Arrow of God, the old keeper of the shrine, a modest open-minded man and based on Achebe’s great uncle, tries to engage with the white invaders, showing what might have been a coming together of different cultures. Instead the result is the same – they are not interested and humiliate him and destroy the shrine.

Achebe celebrated Nigerian independence with great excitement, believing, as most of his generation did, that a liberated Africa would soar. His disillusionment was swift and, long before the rest of the world foresaw the political failures of the new African states; Achebe pinpointed them. In A Man of the People he described the African states as a house abandoned by the colonial powers, taken over by “the smart and the lucky and

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hardly ever the best”, leaving the vast majority of the people out in the rain.

Soon after came the second agonizing dilemma of his life. In 1967 his Igbo people, feeling persecuted and excluded by the alliance of the northern Muslims and the Yoruba in the west, declared independence from Nigeria. Led by Colonel Ojukwu, the Igbo called their new country Biafra and Achebe was its chief proponent and propagandist. The war lasted three years and left more than a million dead. His last book, There was a Country, is an account of that war and shows Achebe to still be a staunch supporter of Biafran independence.

A car accident in Nigeria in 1990 left him in a wheelchair and dependent on others. He had to move to America for treatment. But his devoted wife Christie looked after him fiercely and made very sure he did not get mobbed by visitors or used by people who might exploit his easy going nature.

In my book, Africa Altered States Ordinary Miracles I used Achebe’s image of the house left behind by the

imperial powers as a theme. I then had the cheek to contact him and ask him to write a forward. I was astounded and thrilled when he readily agreed and we got to meet each other.

In 2009 I accompanied him on his last visit to Nigeria to make a film for the BBC. We went to see the home that he had built for his family, complete with its own power and water supply and a lift that would take his wheelchair. It was close to completion and he wanted to live out his final years there but the medical services he needed were not available and his family persuaded him to stay in the US. Sadly that was his first and last visit to that house.

Everywhere he went he was mobbed. We drove at frantic speed from Abuja to Owerri accompanied by a police escort which forced everyone off the road. The lead police Land Rover roared up the middle of the road, lights full on, sirens wailing and police with whips lashing out at cyclists, bikers and pedestrians as they passed. At one stage the convoy took a wrong turning but doubled back, travelling the wrong way along a busy motorway at night. This was the sort of behavior that Achebe had denounced in his 1983 tirade The Trouble with Nigeria. I pointed this out to him. He gave me a rueful smile and shook his head sadly. His son Chide, a distinguished doctor in America, tried unsuccessfully to persuade them to go a little more slowly and be less violent.

Achebe delivered his lecture at Owerri in Igbo heartland and reminded his audience of their history, their culture, their language. This was their heritage, he said, and if they kept faithful to it, they would be strong. After the speech I asked audience members randomly what they thought of the speech. One of those I spoke to said he agreed: “If we know our Igbo language and culture we will be strong – and then we can rule Nigeria!” This sentiment was repeated by two others I interviewed.

When I related this to the old man he was appalled. “That is not what I meant at all,” he said. But I wondered if, after his long absence from Nigeria, a new more cynical generation had lost touch with his noble, oldfashioned idealism.

I hope this and the scores of other tributes to one of the greatest Africans of his generation, whose work and memory will last as long as Africa itself, will be some consolation for Christie Achebe and all the family. I condole you.

•Culled from http://blog.oup.com

n I met Achebe, things fell apart warning, the soldier raised his gun like a baseball bat and smashed the butt of it against the servant’s shoulder. The servant crumpled into the dust.

“Don’t move or I’ll kill you,” the soldier shouted, before trotting off again.

A taxi appeared. As I settled into the back seat, I struggled to find the right words to thank the servant for his trouble.

At loose ends over the weekend, I decided to seek out Mr. Achebe and solicit his latest insights on Nigeria’s troubles. I knew he worked several hundred miles away at a university in Nsukka, a town in a southeastern Nigeria region devastated by famine and civil war in the late 1960s. In those preemail days of spotty phone service, it proved impossible to give him any warning of my intended visit.

I bought a domestic-airline ticket from Lagos to Enugu. At the tumultuous Lagos airport, I learned that there

were no boarding gates. Instead, you walked out onto the tarmac and wandered among the airplanes until you found one going to your destination. I got the last seat.

From Enugu, I took a taxi some 40 miles to Nsukka, passing scores of rusted cars abandoned by the road. When we reached Nsukka, the driver and I began asking people we encountered in the dusty streets how to find the great author’s home. Each one gesticulated mightily, striving to explain the unexplainable, then got into the taxi to direct us from a position of greater comfort. Before long, several guides were wedged into the taxi with me. Eventually, we found the right house, surrounded by flower beds.

I rapped at the door. Mr. Achebe appeared. “I have found you!” I gushed.

Mr. Achebe did not share my enthusiasm. He informed me that he was too busy to grant me more than five minutes of his time. Because I did not believe Nigeria could be explained in five minutes, I politely declined.

I slunk back to the taxi, stunned at my defeat. Did he not realize the trouble and expense I had taken to reach his home? Was it not his vocation to explain his homeland to the rest of the world?

Later I realized that, from Mr. Achebe’s perspective, I was an uninvited pest, liable to ask him naïve questions and quote him out of context. Perhaps he also felt, rightly, that his books spoke for themselves.

James R. (Bob) Hagerty is a Pittsburgh-based reporter for The Wall Street Journal.

Achebe’s battle against prejudice

HEN we think of artistic influences, of the way each artist is shaped by his or her predecessors, we tend to do so in positive terms. But sometimes negative influences are even more powerful. Repulsion and rage give an emerging artist a sense of purpose and identity that are more useful than the desire to emulate. A good example is one of the great figures of 20th-century fiction, the Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe, who died last week. It is often noted that the title of Achebe’s groundbreaking Things Fall Apart, the book from which all modern African fiction emerges, comes from an Irish writer, WB Yeats. Less often acknowledged is that Things Fall Apart owes much more to another Irish writer, the novelist Joyce Cary.

In an interview in 1972, Achebe described what was on his mind in 1951 and 1952, before he wrote Things Fall Apart : “One of the things that set me thinking was Joyce Cary’s novel, set in Nigeria, Mister Johnson , which was praised so much, and it was clear to me that it was a most superficial picture, not only of the country but even of the Nigerian character, and so I thought that if this was famous, then perhaps someone ought to try and look at this from the inside.”

Cary spent much of his childhood in White castle, between Derry and Moville. He retained all his life a powerful nostalgia for Lough Swilly and the Donegal hills, recalled most vividly in his late novels Castle Corner (1938) and House of Children (1944). But like many from his background – a declining landlord family – he entered the colonial service, as assistant district officer in the Borgu region of northwestern Nigeria, between 1914 and 1920.

First published in 1939, Mister Johnson ran through eight editions in 21 years. It was adapted for a successful Broadway play in 1956 and (by William Boyd) for a less successful film in 1990. Most importantly in relation to Chinua Achebe, the novel was hailed in Britain and the US as the first “authentic” depiction of an African character. Time magazine called it “the best novel written about Africa”.

The eponymous protagonist, sympathetically drawn, is a young clerk working for the British district officer of the fictional northern Nigerian area of Fada. He attempts to ape his colonial master in dress, language and manners and to stand above the “common savages”. He tries to identify entirely with the imperial motherland. He sings: “England is my country. / Oh, England, my home all on de big water. / Dat King of England is my King.” He hero-worships his boss, Rudbeck. Johnson adopts the district officer’s manner: “He carries his shoes in one hand, his white helmet in the other, his umbrella under his arm.” As he enters a village, he “advances with the dignified steps of a governor-general in full uniform, picking his way among rubbish”. But this transformation is doomed.

Rudbeck treats him with the “ordinary politeness which would be given to a butler or foot-man at home”, a politeness that Johnson mistakes for friendship. He and his wife regard the Nigerian as “comic” and “quaint”.

To make his aspirations to “civilisation” real, Johnson amasses

One of the things that set me thinking was Joyce Cary’s novel, set in Nigeria, Mister Johnson , which was praised so much, and it was clear to me that it was a most superficial picture, not only of the country but even of the Nigerian character, and so I thought that if this was famous, then perhaps someone ought to try and look at this from the inside

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unpayable debts, steals from the company that is bringing the railway (and thus “civilisation”) to the region, betrays his friends, gets caught stealing from a store, shoots a white man, is tried and sentenced to death.

His last wish is to be shot by Rudbeck himself, a desire that is graciously granted. Johnson dies submissively, even happily.

The interesting thing about Mister Johnson is that all of this could have worked brilliantly as a mordant satire on colonialism. With just a little more self-awareness, Cary could have told the story in a deadpan tone, allowing it to take on a kind of grotesque comedy. Had he done so, Achebe’s rage at the novel would seem unjustified. But Mister Johnson presents itself as a kind of social realism and as an explanation of the African mentality. Cary can’t let the story just tell itself without authorial commentary. He can’t drag himself away from racist colonial attitudes long enough to satirise them.

So Cary writes of the African villagers as creatures without ideas, without culture, even without history: “Its people would not know the change if time jumped back fifty thousand years. They live like mice or rats in a palace floor; all the magnificence and variety of the arts, the ideas, the learning of the battles of civilisation, go over their heads and they do not even imagine them.”

Johnson himself is incapable of having a past: Cary wrote in his preface to the novel that he used the present tense to drive the narrative because “Johnson lives in the present, from hour to hour . . . Johnson swims gaily on the surface of life.”

And yet this failure is what makes Mister Johnson such an important book in the history of African literature. It gave Achebe something to write against. His own African novels occupy the same ground that Cary tried to inhabit, that of the Nigerian caught between indigenous and imperial cultures. But of course he wrote the story “from the inside”, with the dignity and gravity of tragedy. Cary’s colonial prejudice proved much more useful to African literature than his well-meaning sympathy.

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THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

NEWS Our situation could have been worse, says Jonathan Continued from page 1

to lead a prayer group - Nigeria Prays - since he left office.

He said: “Whenever I see Gen Gowon, using the Bible, through Nigeria Prays, which is a more potent weapon than the gun, to keep us together, I really appreciate him. Indeed, Nigeria must be one.

“We have challenges as a nation, particularly in these days of terrorism. It is quite disheartening. But, I can assure you that we are working very hard and will continue to work very hard. And God willing, terror attack will not divide this country. We must be one and protect our collective interest.

“For me, I believe all we need is to believe in the message of Christ, which centred on love and peace. And I believe with love and peace, this country will remain one.

“I promise that I will do my best. I will not disappoint Nigerians, within the limitation of our resources, to fix our infrastructure. Our rail system is coming up. We promise to fix our roads so that Nigerians can move freely. We promise to stabilise power in this country.”

He barely finished the sentence when there was power outage.

But the church’s public address system came on, allowing the President to resume his speech.

The President said on a lighter note: “I believe they (those behind power supply) know that I am here that is why they took light. At least, to remind me that I must not sleep until we stabilise power. God willing next year, they will not take light again”.

•President Jonathan (fourth left); Gen Gowon (second left); his wife, Victoria (left); Ven Isemede (third left) and others, after the church service …yesterday PHOTO: NAN

Pope prays for peace in Nigeria

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IGHTEEN days after his emergence, Pope Francis yesterday celebrated his first Easter in office, appealing for diplomatic solutions to the socio-political problems in Nigeria, Mali, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Central Africa Republic (CAR).

He also sought peace in the Korean peninsula, Syria and Iraq.

Pope Francis decried the continued insurgent attacks in Nigeria when he prayed for Africa, referring to Mali and Nigeria, “where attacks sadly continue.”

Islamic sect Boko Haram (western ed(The congregation thundered, amen!)

He went on: “I sincerely thank all of you, and indeed all the Christians in Nigeria, for your prayers. It would have been worse than this if you have not been praying.

This country has passed through a lot of crises. I remember in the military days,

ucation is a sin) has been wreaking havoc in Nigeria in the past four years under the guise of islamising the country.

It usually attacks worship places on Sundays, killing and maiming. It also attacks mosques, individuals and others considered as threat to its interest.

Yesterday, one of its operational bases in Kano was raided by soldiers, who recovered arms, ammunition and explosives from the house. The building was demolished.

The Pope also sued for peace across the world.

In his first “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) message, Pope Francis also called for

during the transition, at the time the country was drifting, we didn’t know where we were going.

“We had a political environment when you do not even know where we were transiting to. But with persistent prayers by you, the Christians, God stabilised the country. God will continue to

peace between Israelis and Palestinians, an end to the civil war in Syria, and political solutions to conflicts in several African countries.

He singled out “dear Syria”, saying: “How much blood has been shed! And how much suffering must there still be before a political solution is found?”

In his speech at the St. Peter’s Square which was decked by spring flowers and packed by joyous pilgrims, tourists and Romans, Pope Francis said: “We ask the risen Jesus, who turns death into life, to change hatred into love, vengeance into

stabilise this country. God will continue to keep us together.

I promise you as a mortal, I will do my best. I can’t give up.”

Speaking with reporters outside the church, Gen. Gowon said he was not averse to amnesty for Boko Haram members, but on the condition that the group’s leaders must first

Continued on page 57 •Pope Francis

be identified.

He said the observation by Nobel laureate Prof Wole Soyinka that the country was on the brink was personal.

Prof. Soyinka had warned that without stringent measures, the country may end up in another civil war. But Gowon restated his belief in Nigeria’s unity, adding that

How to make leaders accountable, by Tinubu CTION Congress of Nigeria (ACN) National Leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has advised Nigerians on how to put leaders on their toes.

He urged citizenry to attain a level of intellectual inquisitiveness that would empower them to ask questions from their leaders.

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The former Lagos State governor spoke with reporters outside the St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, Obosi, in Anambra State, shortly after attending the 80th birthday thanksgiving service in honour of former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku.

Tinubu urged Nigerians to make their leaders accountable

to bring about the needed change in the country.

He said: “Let’s question our leaders about the decisions they make and the policies they implement, especially when we sense that they are trying to divide this nation along ethinc and religious lines.”

The ACN leader described Anyaoku as a true Nigerian

a joint forum with the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) in Lagos that Nigeria has also lost N105 billion to theft of refined products.

“This is a threat to our national security and our democracy. If this kind of huge

amount of money gets into the wrong hands, it can destabilise our democracy and national security,’’ Ogun said.

He blamed the incessant loss of billions of naira on vandalism of crude oil and petroleum products’ pipeline.

Ogun described as regretta-

who has lived a life that gives meaning to the words of our old National Anthem – “Though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we still stand….”

Tinubu said: “Anyaoku and all he represents should be celebrated because there are only a few of his type who love Nigeria dearly.”

ble the inability of security forces to arrest the unwholesome practice which led to a fire in Arepo, Ogun State, and the subsequent shut down of Nembe Creek Trunk line by Shell Petroleum Development Compny (SPDC).

Continued on page 57

Anxiety over First Lady Dame Jonathan

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HERE was widespread anxiety yesterday over the well-being of First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan.

Speculations were rife that she may have been flown abroad for treatment after taking ill again.

Her media aide Ayo Osinlu last night denied that his principal is ill.

He said there was no cause for alarm.

Before her thanksgiving last month, where she expressed gratitude to God for sparing her life after nine surgeries in one month, a similar scenario had played out.

The Presidency consistently denied that she was ill, claim-

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

ing that she only traveled abroad to rest.

On her return, Mrs Jonathan also denied that she went for medical treatment until she opened up at her thanksgiving at the Presidential Villa on February 17.

The First Lady, who spent several weeks in a German hospital last year, went back in January and held a thanksgiving in February.

In a statement, Osinlu said the First Lady travelled to Paris, France to attend the First Green Women Conference; see her sick foster mother, Mama Sisi in Germany and spend time

with her holidaying children.

According to him, she is expected back in the country next week.

The statement reads: “Our attention has been attracted by some curiosity in a cross section of the public, and particularly by speculations in the media about the movement recently of Her Excellency, the First Lady, Dame (Dr.) Patience Goodluck Jonathan.

“For the avoidance of doubts and ambiguities, we wish to state that Her Excellency had travelled to participate in the 1st Green Women Conference, which took place in Paris, France, on March 17, 2013, where she received the Global

Women Leaders’ Award for Peace, 2013.

“Thereafter, the First Lady proceeded to Germany where her foster mother, Mama Sisi, is currently receiving medical attention. It was in her normal plan to spend some time overseeing the management of the foster mother’s condition.

“The First Lady also decided to seize the opportunity to spend some quality time in the company of her holidaying children, before they return to school. She is expected back within the next week.

“We wish to express appreciation for the sincere interests of those who have shown genuine concern through their enquiries.”

Continued on page 57

Bloody Easter day in Kano

Nigeria loses $6b yearly to crude oil theft

IGERIA is losing $6 billion yearly to crude oil theft, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) claimed yesterday.

PENGASSAN’s President Mr Babatunde Ogun said at

the country will overcome its challenges.

Gowon prayed: “The peace of God which we need in this country will descend on us from this day. There is nothing I can wish fellow Nigerians other than we live in peace as brothers and sisters. No

•Tukur Continued from page 1

up, with the JTF and the police deploying their operatives in strategic locations.

They also used Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) to patrol flash points.

Kano is becoming the hotbed of Boko Haram attacks.

On March 18, the sect attacked a motor park in Sabongari, killing no fewer than 35 persons. The casualty figure is, however, believed to be higher.

The sect’s activities are threatening ties between Nigeria and the United States (US) whose Ambassador Terence McCulley was recently summoned by the Foreign Minister Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru over his comments on Boko Haram.

At the meeting, McCulley was said to have denied making any comment to under-

mine the Federal Government’s handling of the Boko Haram insurgency.

Last week, the police recovered some Turkey Oil cans stuffed with remote bombs; two cylinders with remotecontrolled devices; 14 hand grenades; four rolls of wire conductor and 12 power sources from the sect.

When he visited his Adamawa home state last week, Chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Bamanga Tukur lamented the prevailing security situation.

“Today, there is fear everywhere. Churches are being burnt. Mosques are being attacked. The United Nations building was bombed. Motor parks are being bombed. People cannot go to motor parks again to travel for fear of being attacked. Security installations such as police stations, prisons are being burnt down and inmates released at will.

Nobody knows the next target of attack. Nigeria is under attack,” he said.

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NEWS

Crisis can consume PDP, says Oyinlola

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HE ousted National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola has raised the alarm that the party is at a crossroads and ought to resolve its crisis to protect its survival in the future.

He said PDP cannot be talking about the much touted “reconciliation’’ while some leaders are also taking steps to fragment the party.

He said with the proposed merger of some political parties, the PDP must watch it or else it will fail.

He said he suspected that some questionable scripts are being acted by some power brokers in the party.

Oyinlola spoke in a secret memo submitted to Governor Ibrahim Shema Committee looking into the problems facing the party’s Southwest chapter.

He said he had been committed to peace and reconciliation up to the extent of taking Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State to beg the National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.

In the memo, exclusively obtained by our correspondent, Oyinlola attributed the crisis in PDP to mutual suspicion.

He said it was sad that Alhaji Tukur backed parallel National Working Committee (NWC) than the elected NWC. The memo reads in part: “Without any doubt, the political arena has now assumed higher levels of activity, with the planned merger of some political parties. To us, the leadership of the PDP, we must be able to avoid the problems associated with cynicism and re-

•Sacked secretary writes Shema peace panel

From Yuuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

sist the temptation to promote those issues that divide us instead of uniting us. In doing this, let us never fail to read the minds of people and situations correctly, while putting aside sentiments that have torn us apart. “ Today, we stand at a major crossroads. It is through our people and supporters at the grassroots that we could make our great party unshakable and greater. “ The truth is that majority of our members in the Southwest are disenchanted as a result of many issues. And the manner in which we resolve issues confronting us today will largely determine the future of our political activities as a united and cohesive mass movement that is destined to rule Nigeria for a longer period.”

He said he suspected that some power brokers are acting some questionable scripts.

Oyinlola said: “From the aforesaid and available indications, it seems to me that there is a deliberate attempt to shut out the Southwest from the PDP given the very hasty and questionable decisions taken against us on the orders of the National Chairman, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, following the court judgment in suit no: FHC/ABJ/CS/504/ 2012, delivered on January 11, 2013, by Justice Abdu Kafarati.

The Learned trial judge nullified my election as the national secretary based on the complaint of the Engr. Bayo Dayo faction that I emerged as the

national secretary based on the decision of the Southwest zonal congress.

“The PDP, led by the national chairman moved swiftly to implement this decision of the Federal High Court, Abuja by hurriedly organising a celebrated inauguration of my deputy, Onwe Solomon Onwe as the Acting National Secretary.

“Surprisingly, PDP disrespected the Court of Appeal to obey a Federal High Court ruling on the advice of Chief JK Gadzama, SAN, who is a personal friend of Dr. Bamanga Tukur. “ Allow me to observe that it is normal for the Deputy National Secretary to act whenever the National Secretary is not available to perform the duties of the National Secretary. I believe there was no need to celebrate this development based on the fact that the PDP constitution is clear on the mode of stepping into the shoes of the national secretary by the deputy national secretary and the fact that the matter was still in court.

“Pronouncements in the newspapers after my removal from office by Mr. Buruji Kashamu and Mr. Joe Gadzama, SAN, stating emphatically that Olagunsoye Oyinlola will never return to office as the national secretary of PDP are very suspect.

“It is also a sad commentary that the PDP counsel went ahead to withdraw the PDP motion for a stay of execution of the Justice Kafarati judgment of

January 11, 2013, and caused to be published, various statements antagonising me and my attempts to seek redress through a motion for a stay of execution of the Kafarati judgment. “ That gave cause to me to suspect that some questionable scripts are being acted by some power brokers in the PDP. I say here that it is only God that is able to shut and no man would open; and conversely, open and no man would be able to shut.”

Oyinlola claimed that the crisis bedeviling PDP started shortly after the inauguration of the NWC led by Tukur.

He added: “A few months after our inauguration, I started hearing the rumour that there were planned moves to shut out those of us from my zone, and understandably the Southwest PDP from the NWC and remove us from reckoning within the PDP. “I was informed that the plan was being hatched to obtain a ‘kangaroo’ court judgment against me on the grounds that I was not validly elected the national secretary of the PDP, as a result of my purported nomination by the Southwest zonal congress held on March 21, 2012, which had been nullified by a court order.

“I never took the information serious because I knew, as a matter of fact that nobody, who understands the constitution of our great Party would ever subscribe to, or canvass that position which is clearly patently false, ridiculous, misleading

From left: Council member, Ibadan Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines And Agriculture (ICCIMA); Mr Bamikole Olalekan; President, Mr Dimeji Fowowe; Vice Chairman, Corporate Affairs Committee, Mr Segun Bolaji and Deputy President, Mrs Margaret Amusan-Ogunmade, at the ICCIMA’s Annual General Meeting in Ibadan...yesterday PHOTO:NAN

and pedestrian. I was to later discover, upon investigations and from records at the national headquarters that the crises in the Ogun State chapter of the PDP pre-dated the present NWC, into which I was validly elected.”

Oyinlola insisted that if the party is adamant on his sack from office, the same Federal High Court judgment had implied that Tukur should also vacate office.

He said: “I wish to also make it known that most of the decisions taken in this matter have been unilaterally taken by the national chairman who attempted on more than one occasion to rail-road the NWC into taking hasty and ill-conceived decisions. “ I want it placed on record that our great party ignored the ruling of a Court of Appeal, Lagos which granted the motion for a stay of execution of the order of the Federal High Court which nullified the Southwest PDP congress. I hold that it is surprising that we could ignore the ruling of an Appeal Court which granted a stay of execution of judgment of the Federal High Court, Lagos, and choose to respect the order of a lower court simply because it nullified the election of Olagunsoye Oyinlola. “ This development could only ridicule all of us in the eyes of right thinking members of the society; and I must say that, expectedly, these sordid developments have had negative effects on the morale of members of the PDP in my zone. “ Let me go further that going by this same Federal High Court, Lagos ruling cited earlier, both the national chairman and the national secretary have not been validly elected following the nullification of the Southwest zonal congress by the court. That aspect of the judgment concerning Olagunsoye Oyinlola has been implemented. “ However, the Federal High Court ruling which annulled the Southwest Congress which also produced the national chairman and members of the NWC has not been considered in the process of implementing court decisions.

“Technically, that judgment also invalidated the election of the national chairman based on the fact that the Southwest delegates to the PDP zonal congress of March 21, 2012, also voted at our National Convention held on Saturday March 24, 2012.

“ I am of the opinion that if this lapse is not corrected, it would continue to be a case of great injustice and unwarranted assault on the Constitution of the PDP and that of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and against my person and office as a national secretary of the PDP. I believe very strongly, that I was removed from office in very questionable and unjustifiable circumstances. “ I wish to state most respectfully, and without any fear of equivocation that my commitment is to contribute to a democratically constructed PDP that is predicated on peace, justice and truth. It is most painful that our confidence has been badly shaken by political antics and miscalculations which are capable of breeding disharmony in our great Party. “ Coexisting with fellow human beings, even among immediate family members entail difficulties, not to talk about managing a huge political party like ours, which prides itself as the largest and strongest political party in Africa. It must be part of the gifts or endowments of managers of human resources to be able to organize them to keep friction among our members to the barest minimum. “ We cannot in one breadth be talking about the much touted ‘’reconciliation’’ while also taking steps to fragment our cherished political party down the line. The Constitution of the PDP prescribes the mode of managing our Party and our differences. “ I believe that major causes of internal conflicts in the PDP, apart from elite competition are mutual suspicion and our inability to pursue the path of moral rectitude.

He accused Tukur of backing a parallel NWC leading to a deeper crisis in the party. he said: “Furthermore, the presence of ‘’parallel NWC members’’ at the national secretariat, who seem to enjoy the confidence of the national chairman than the constitutionally recognized NWC members has been one of the greatest problems confronting the National Secretariat. “ A lot of doubts and suspicions could have been avoided, had all issues been handled transparently and made to follow the due process. It is not impossible that anybody so opportune to be functioning in a capacity that makes him/her to hijack the functions of an NWC member, could also be moving to position himself/herself for future political positions, and may indeed be influencing matters based on selfish interests.’’

‘Abuse of SURE-P funds by Lagos PDP vindicates ACN’s stand’

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HE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday said the crisis rocking the Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), over the sharing of Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowermen Programme (SURE-P) funds among its members, has confirmed its stand that the money has now become a 2015 campaign war chest for President Goodluck Jonathan.

The cash is meant to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians.

In a statement in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said when it alerted the nation to the abuse of the SURE-P funds in a statement on February 3, the Federal Government as well as SURE-P managers rushed to deny any abuse of the funds and called the party (ACN) unprintable names.

ACN said:‘’Today, the truth

By Precious Igbonwelundu

has prevailed as the PDP members themselves have confirmed that the SURE-P funds are being shared among them across the federation. ‘’Thanks to the alleged hijacking of the SURE-P funds meant for the PDP members in Lagos State by the Bode George faction and the crisis that it has generated, the nation can now see that the Jonathan administration has willfully converted the money accruing from SURE-P to campaign funds. ‘’This is a very serious violation of the constitution, because the State Implementation Committee (SIC), a body not recognised by law, has been set up to distribute the SURE-P largesse to PDP members in all the states. Recall that money being spent on fuel subsidies was in the past taken out of the Federation Account, hence its money that would have been divided

among the three tiers of government in accordance with the revenue allocation formula. ‘’But by virtue of the SURE-P arrangement, part of the funds are now available for the Federal Government to share freely by approving contracts, programmes and activities in accordance with its whims and caprices. The PDP-controlled Federal Government has now seen the accruing huge funds as money which may well be spent with special favour for its cronies and party affiliates, without regard to the constitution.

For President Jonathan, this is an impeachable offence,’’ ACN said.

The party said in order to buttress its point on the abuse of the SURE-P funds, most - if not all - state coordinators for President Jonathan’s campaign in 2011 are also the current state coordinators for SURE-P, adding that this is not a mere coincidence but a well-orchestrated attempt

to give the Jonathan campaign an unfair head-start ahead of 2015 - with public funds!!!

It listed some of the coordinators as Alhaji Bode Oyedele (Lagos); Mr. Joseph Ishekpa (Nasarawa); Alhaji Garba A. Kurfi.(Katsina): Alhaji Aliyu Mamman (Niger); Alhaji Adamu Yaro Gombe (Gombe); Hon Femi Akinyemi (Ekiti); Jarigbe Agbom Jarigbe (Cross River); Chief Abdullahi Ohioma (Kogi); Dare Adeleke (Oyo); Alhaji Al-Kasim Madoka (Kano) and Alhaji Kolo Bukar (Borno).

On the crisis in Lagos PDP over the SURE-P largesse, ACN said a public statement by a faction of the PDP in Lagos has let the cat out of the bag.

The PDP factional statement said, inter alia; ‘’Bode Oyedele cannot coordinate Sure-P in Lagos State. We reject him. He has packed all Bode George’s agents as Sure-P beneficiaries. Is this the objective of Sure-P?

Some local governments like EtiOsa, Ajeromi, Lagos Islands etc.

Please find out how they got the beneficiaries. ‘’In Eti-Osa, there are names of criminals as beneficiaries, especially Ward HI. This is a waste of Subsidy money and defeating the objective of the programme. There are responsible eminent citizens who should be contacted to verify and screen the submission of names for beneficiaries but Bode George’s loyalists are putting names of touts and miscreants for his own personal agenda. We won’t allow this to happen. We intend to go to court to obtain an order to dissolve the state Exco if the Caretaker Committee won’t do it.’’

ACN said from the statement above by members of the PDP themselves, no one should be left in any doubt that the SUREP funds have now become campaign funds for President Jonathan and his party ahead of

•Alhaji Mohammed

2015. ‘’On the basis of this, we are now calling for an independent investigation into how the money accruing to SURE-P has been disbursed since the inception of the programme, with a view to establishing to what extent the funds have been abused, and in order to prescribe the appropriate sanctions for those found culpable,’’ it said.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

6

CITYBEATS

CITYBEATS LINE: 07059022999

'I've not smiled once in 15 years'

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ORROW appears to have tightened its grip on the household of Mrs Olayinka Taiwo, who now desperately seek solution to her health problem which, she said, had literally dragged her through hell in the past 15 years.

When she seemed resigning to fate over the cancer that has reduced her to an unsightly creature, ill-fate bore its fangs on her the harder way. Her children were thrown into the streets because she could no longer afford to house them.

Not only do her children lack the wherewithal to go to school, they now have to beg in the streets under scorching sun, to have a meal per day.

Within the last 15 years, Mrs Taiwo has remained helpless as the disease has spread all over her left eye. Now, she is a sorry figure. The helpless mother of four - one dead - said she had been bearing the excruciating pain all these past years, with no solution in sight.

Just a few years after the ill-

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XCEPT for the Muslims among them, they would have joined others in the day's Easter festivities. But they chose to embark on a life-saving enlightenment programme on the Good Friday. It was tagged, "Road Show Campaign."

Leading the show was the Ojota Unit Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

It was sponsored by Honeywell Superfine Foods Limited (HSFL).

As early as 8 am, HSFL's Commercial Director, Lanre Jaiyeola, led his team to the FRSC office in a convoy of five of the company's branded vans among other vehicles.

The Ojota Unit Commander, Leye Adegboyega, an Assistant Corps Commander (ACC), and his lieutenants, including Lucas Oguntade, evinced their readiness to make the campaign a success.

With every participant in high spirit, the carnival-like show started from the old Toll Gate, 7Up area en-route major roads including Mobolaji Johnson Alausa, Ikeja - The Secretariat CMD Road, Ketu - Lagos/ Ibadan Expressway and finally back to the old Toll Gate.

A live band was on hand to spice up the show.

Adegboyega explained the motive behind the exercise: "It has been observed over the years that road crashes are usually on the increase during festive seasons like this; this is why we thought of intensifying pub-

Dada Aladelokun, Assistant Editor

ness hooked Mrs Taiwo, her husband died after a brief illness.

Before then, he had reportedly run from pillar to post, trying to seek solutions.

The death of her husband left him with the four children to cater for, as she grappled with her swollen eye. She picked up her cross and continued to bear the burden alone. Things worsened for her with the condition of the eye. She could no longer hawk yam - her only source of income - to earn a living.

Her situation got exacerbated as years rolled by. At certain times, she sought solution through queer means out of desperation.

Sooner, she could not even afford the cost of treatment in any way.

Today, she daily traverses the streets of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, where she lives, with her hapless children, begging for alms for survival, even as the infected left eye gets worse.

Mrs Taiwo, who said poverty had prevented relations from

helping her and her kids, said that for the over 15 years that she had been battling the ailment, they had been living on begging.

"We have been living on helps from those who feel touched by the condition of my eyes; they do give us money to eat," she said.

Now, she needs money to do surgical operation on the eye for the 15-year pain to go.

To actualise that dream, she needs N5million. Thus, she appealed to public-spirited Nigerians and organisations to come to her aid.

She said: "I still believe that there are many God-sent individuals and organisations in this land that can make me smile again because I can’t remember a moment that I have smiled in the past 15 years since this problem began," she said.

In tears, she added: This is why I opened a First Bank account with number: 3069978187 with the money I got from begging. I believe that whoever God wants to use for me can get his widow's mite across to me through it."

•Mrs Taiwo

FRSC, Honeywell in road safety drive Dada Aladelokun, Assistant Editor

lic awareness drive on ensuring safety on our roads this Easter and beyond."

With a megaphone, motorists were further enlightened on the need to adhere to traffic rules, even after any festive period, by eschewing over-speeding, phone calls while driving, dangerous driving like wrongful overtaking, overloading, covering/violating number plates rules. The importance of light signs - break lights, full lights and rear lights - was also reemphasised.

Adegboyega reminded motorists about some of the initiatives of the FRSC in Zone RS2, including the Passengers Watch, which was recently initiated to check drivers' excesses. Under the initiative, the FRSC official pretends to be a passenger with a view to monitoring the driver’s attitude.

The effort, he said, is aimed at achieving 50 per cent reduction in road crashes across the country in line with the UN Decade of Action.

Jaiyeola told The Nation that his company was involved in the programme because of its belief

that safety is an issue that concerns everyone in the society.

"Our company, Honeywell appreciates the Command's commitment to the campaign and that spurred us into partnering with it, all for safety on our roads," he said.

Handbills bearing messages on the causes and prevention of road accidents were freely distributed during the campaign.

Honeywell-branded pens, notebooks, noodles, snacks and leaflets were also distributed. Regular and Special Marshals of the Corps were not left out.

A commuter, Mrs Anike

•A convoy of vehicles along Marwa Gardens, Ikeja… during the show

•Adegboyega and Jaiyeola

Babcock Varsity alumni lift motherless babies

Fake airport worker arrested with cocaine man parading himself as a traffic worker on the tarmac of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, Adetunji Oladeji Joseph, has been arrested with 100 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.350 kilogramme.

He was illegally taken to the boarding gates of the MMIA by a female cleaner and a driver, an employee of the Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

His accomplices, Mr Olatubosun Michael Olatunji, Mrs Uzoma David and Mr Ekene Victor Uchenna are allegedly said to belong to a drug racketeering syndicate.

Ahmadu Giade, the anti-narcotics boss, who described the incident as an act of sabotage, promised to prosecute all persons involved in the crime.

"It is disappointing for workers at

A

By Jude Isiguzo

the airport community to indulge in such a high-level compromise. Their action is a calculated attempt to undermine security measures at the airport. They will be prosecuted for others to see the bitter consequences of compromise. Drug barons always seek to corrupt officials through bribery, but we are working to counter such acts of infiltration," Giade stated.

NDLEA’s commander at the airport, Mr Hamza Umar, said the incident took place on February 7, but that the main culprits were arrested last weekend.

"This is a high-level case of aiding and abetting; so we took our time in trying to arrest all parties to the crime.

I appreciate the support of security agencies at the airport, especially the FAAN," Umar stated.

Omolayo told The Nation at Ketu: "I'm impressed by all the efforts being made by this Command of the FRSC to make our roads safe; I only hope other Commands will follow suit."

Having discovered that some drivers were suffering from hypertension among other health problems, the Adegboyega-led Command recently carried out blood pressure and blood sugar tests in some commercial motor parks its domain, all in a bid to promote safety on the roads.

Beyond the Road is another such programmes carried out at Biode Park on March 25, during which no

I

•Joseph Preliminary investigations revealed that Mr Ekene Victor Uchenna, a staff of Avobridge, currently at large, gave his reflective jacket to the suspect.

N response to their sought support when they visited the SOS Motherless Babies Home some weeks ago, the Babcock University Alumni Association, Ilisan Remo, Shagamu, Ogun State, has donated gift items to the babies.

While presenting the items, the association's president, Mr. Nwokocha Chibueze, said the donation was its widow's mite in support of the good works of the management of the home.

Chibueze, who was accompanied by his aides, prayed for the staff of the home on their selfless service to the society.

Receiving the items, father of the home, Mr. Inusa-Ahmed Anthony, thanked the association

By Medinat Kanabe

for the kind gesture, adding that the success recorded so far in the home was made possible by those he referred to as “village mothers who left their biological children to take care of the home.”

He noted that the motherless babies' home was a loving haven for every child, adding: "Every child is given the opportunity to study with other children to attain greatness."

The association also donated some items to the SOS Motherless Babies' Home in Ijebu-Owu, Ogun State, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

The items included two LG washing machines, two 50-kilogramme bags of rice, four cartons of Indomie noodles and eight packs of toiletries.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

7

CITYBEATS

CITYBEATS LINE: 07059022999

'Poisoned' student battles to live

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ONDAY Oluwafemi, a 27-year-old student of Political Science at the College of Education, Ikere-Ekiti, is dying.

His survival depends on the readiness of sympathetic Nigerians to bail him out of his present predicament.

According to a source, Monday mistakenly took a substance suspected to be poison about a year ago and has since been moving in and out of hospitals.

He underwent his first surgical operation on his stomach late last year at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC), Ile-Ife, Osun State.

A pipe through which he could feed was fixed on him.

Now, he can't eat with his mouth.

So far, about N250,000 was

fewer than 59 drivers underwent blood pressure and sugar level tests.

Twenty-eight drivers were also tested at Owena Park, Ojota, the next day.

The beneficiaries and their leaders at both parks were full of praises for the Command over the exercise they adjudged laudable. The Command re-educated the public on the need to ensure safety at all times, even "beyond the road."

After the Easter period, Adegboyega assured the public that his Command's Motorised Patrol along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, embarked on through its Special Intervention Projects (SIP), would continue. "It is done essentially to restrict motorists to the prescribed speed limits," he stated.

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

said to have been expended on him by his poor family.

Now, his case requires another operation to enable him regain normal eating process.

The victim, an indigene of Ode-Aye in Okitipupa Local Government area of Ondo State, told The Nation that he lost his father along time ago.

His m o t h e r i s a p e a s a n t farmer.

Now, medical findings reveal that it will require about N1 million to make him survive his ordeal. Where such money would come from is the headache of his family now. Thus, the family is plead seeks financial assistance from kindhearted Nigerians to rescue him from untimely death. The victim and his guardian gave their phone numbers as 07035403364 and 08063127921.

MTN rewards competition winners

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HE winners of Afrinolly Short Film Competition have smiled home with various prizes. The event came up at the weekend as part of the MTN Link Forum that took place at the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos.

The competition kicked off on November 1, last year. Over 500 entries were received at the expiration of the submission deadline on January 31, this year.

From February 15 to March 8, a voting public decided what films would claim the top three prizes in both categories. And on March 11, 2013, Anthony Onah's Dara Ju, The Promise (Akin Okunrinboye) and To Serve With All Our Strength (Ishaya Bako) were announced as the first three winners in the short film category,

while in the documentary category, Bemigho Awala's Hustle On A Mile took first prize while A Short 'Documentary' (Olusoji Oyinsan II) and Black and Gold (Joseph Akwasi) took the second and third places.

The award presentation was moderated by Buchi, a comedian and Afrinolly's Andre Blaze, who introduced Chike Maduegbuna, the chief executive of FCO Limited, developers of the MTN Afrinolly mobile phone App and initiators of the Afrinolly Short Film Competition.

The competition, The Nation learnt, aims at digitally showcasing African cinema talent and to provide a platform to foster the production of African content. It was supported by Goethe Institut, Blackberry, IREP and Google as the social media partner.

Minister advises Christians at Easter

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HE Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro has urged Christians to imbibe the spirit of sacrifice and forgiveness.

He also called on Christians to pray for the nation in view of the current security challenges bedevilling the nation.

Moro, in his Easter message, through his Special Assistant on Media, George Udoh, yesterday, said the occasion should be used yearly to reflect on the ultimate sacrifice Jesus Christ made through his crucifixion on the Cross for the remission of our sins.

“Just as Jesus made that sacrifice, Nigerians as a people should also think of what sacrifice they can

By Jude Isiguzo

make to ensure the growth and development of the nation,” Moro said.

He explained that both the leaders and followers have roles to play to take the country to greater heights, adding that everybody should strive to make sacrifice where necessary.

Moro reminded Christians of the importance of religious tolerance and peaceful co-existence, adding that everyone has a duty to ensure peace.

He said President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is committed to his administration’s transformation agenda.

•Oluwafemi

Community seeks businessman’s release EBUAL Development Association (EADA) in Abual/Odual Local Government in Rivers State has urged the abductors of Mr. Joseph Sokolo to release him.

Sokolo, an astute businessman in the state, was abducted last month on his way back to his hometown. Today, he is yet to be released.

EADA's President, Dr. Ela George made the call yesterday at the inauguration of the executive members of the association.

He said: "On behalf of government representatives seated at this inauguration, I call on the abductors of Mr. Joseph Sokolo to release him to his family; it is a sign of wickedness which this

From Precious Dikewoha, PortHarcourt

association can no longer condone.

“In recent times, two Abual sons have been kidnapped; that shows all is not well.

“We must join hand together to fight social vices in our communities and redirect the focus of our youths to meaningful activities that will impact positively on our community."

The chairman of the ceremony ThankGod George, also the Secretary, Rivers State Boundary Commission, said Rivers State government abhors kidnapping, cultism and other social vices among the youth, and would do everything to rid the state of them.

PMAN gets woman president OLUREMI Aminat Dangaji, a music promoter, singer, businesswoman, and artistes' manager, has emerged the new President of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN).

The association's SecretaryGeneral,, Kenny George, declared her the new president after one of the contestants for the post failed to turn up for the election on March 21. The event took place in Lagos.

Dangaji stated that an anti-piracy committee had been set up to look into the issues of piracy within the industry, adding that it had been the greatest impediment to the prosperity of all PMAN members.

She also said: "We have also

taken inventory of all properties left by successive regimes at the PMAN headquarters, and it is our resolve to decisively deal with all those who have criminally converted PMAN properties into personal use.

The slogan of this new regime is zero tolerance to corruption."

Dangaji also promised to reconcile all warring factions, adding: "Veterans will be taken care of, morally and financially, while musicians under the association will enjoy their royalties. And the upcoming acts are also welcome in the association too because we have been able to get across to them and make them understand that PMAN is not for one person."

Singer Davina quits bachelorhood FAST-rising female singer, Davina Achena, on Saturday, tied the nuptial knots with his heartthrob, Eric Nwadinobi, after four years of courtship.

Nwadinobi is an aide of Abia State Governor Theodore Orji. The event took place at the prestigious NiteShift Coliseum, Opebi, Ikeja,

Lagos.

Nwadinobi, it was learnt, proposed to the songstress at the oneyear anniversary of Entertainment Express Newspaper at the Coliseum on July 28, 2012. Families, friends and some colleagues were present to give their support to the wedlock.

Skuki gets UNICEF support

•The alumni and representatives of the home with the items

SKUKI, a hip-hop group comprising Peeshaun and Vavavooom, is set to launch their brand of condoms before the end of the year.

A report says the duo have got the support of the United Nations Children’s Funds (UNICEF) is reportedly is interested in

partnering with the brothers on the project in promoting the brand.

The group is said to have set aside millions of naira to produce the products, Peeshaun Condoms.

The condoms will be produced from China.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

8

NEWS

Osun labour leaders warn members against strike

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ABOUR leaders in Osun State have told their members to ignore a call by three labour leaders to begin a four-day warning strike tomorrow.

The Chairman of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, Comrade Akinyemi Olatunji; leader of the Medical and Health Workers Union, Comrade Femi Adebisi; the ViceChairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Tola Nosegbe and others dissociated their unions from the proposed strike.

They spoke with reporters yesterday after a meeting with their members at the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) Secretariat in Osogbo, the state capital.

They said those calling for

•Workers urged to report to work From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

the strike – Chairman of the Joint Negotiating Council (JNC), Bayo Adejumo; Saka Adesiyan of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Felix Adetunji of TUC - were not competent to do so and did not have members’ support, adding that there is a case pending in court over industrial issues.

Olatunji said: “We asking you to ignore the call by those claiming to be acting under the umbrella of the NLC, TUC and JNC to go on strike. Our grounds are as follows: That the strike is being masterminded by three persons, who did not consult us as executives of various

unions before deciding on our behalf.

“This is not only undemocratic; it is an insult on our intelligence as equal partners in the labour movement.

Most of the signatories to the strike notice are not representatives of Osun public servants.

“The NLC can only call for a strike based on the collective decision of all constituent unions. The state government, which is our employer, had at various times assured us that it is not opposed to our demand for the implementation of the minimum wage for grade levels 08 and above.

“It said it would get back to us in about four weeks. We

do not understand why a few persons are hell bent on making us go on strike. The few people behind this wild cat strike are aware that the state government has requested us to nominate representatives from each council, the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) and a labour consultant of workers’ choice to constitute a Revenue Monitoring Committee, which will periodically review salary upwards as government’s revenue improves.

This is the practice in advanced and developing countries.

“We must resist the attempt by a mischievous minority to use us to enrich themselves

through the use of industrial and anarchistic tactics. Let us report at our duty posts and ignore those who will quickly dump us as soon as they have achieved their goal of blackmail and extortion.”

Adebisi said Adejumo, who chaired the meeting where the “strike order was given”, was not competent to preside over such meeting because he has retired from the service of the Federal Government.

Mr. N. K. Ogungbamigbe said other unions are not under the NLC but partners, who should be involved in issues affecting their members.

Mrs. Nosegbe, said TUC has not met for over a year and cannot make decisions for about seven unions comprising the body.

‘No plan to sabotage suit against Oyo ‘monarch’” From Bode Durojaiye, Oyo

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HE Principal Medical Officer in- charge of the State Hospital, Oyo, Dr. Musibau Opabode, has debunked allegations in some quarters that he was trying to sabotage a suit instituted by the Oyo State Government against a self-acclaimed monarch, Alhaji Ganiyu Ajiboye.

Ajiboye was accused of flouting a State High Court’s ruling by allegedly parading himself as the Alago of AgoOja and conducting himself in a manner likely to breach public peace.

Besides his first appearance when the case came up for mention, the accused was absent twice at subsequent sittings. He said he was ill and Opabode confirmed it.

This led to speculations that Opabode might be covering up for Ajiboye.

But Opabode told reporters that the rumour was “wicked, unfounded and a devilish fabrication”.

He said: “When Ajiboye came to the hospital complaining of body weakness and sleeplessness, an examination was carried out on him and it was found that he had high blood pressure. I recommended that he should rest to normalise his temperature.

He can rest anywhere, not necessarily in the hospital.

“I am a disciplined and responsible public officer. My records are there for verification.’

One killed in Erijiyan-Ekiti From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

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•A cross-section of the choir of the Apostolic Faith Church singing during the Easter Concert, tagged: “I give my life to you”, at the church’s headquarters in Anthony Village, Lagos...yesterday. PHOTO: SOLOMON ADEOLA

‘Probe ex-Oyo SSG’s guard’s murder’ From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

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HE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Oyo State has urged the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to investigate the killing of the guard of an Accord member and former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Ayodele Adigun.

In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Dauda Kolawole, ACN said a probe would expose the guard’s killer(s) and put to rest speculations that the incident might be politically motivated.

It said: “For close to two years after the exit of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) politicians, Oyo State has witnessed peace and tranquility.

“We urge the IG to investigate this murder and expose the guard’s killer(s).

“Seeing that in the last two years or thereabout, there has been unprecedented peace and quiet in our state, we cannot rule out the fact that they may have martyred that hapless night guard to disturb the peace and score a point that we are not different from them. This should be a great lead for the police investigators.”

Research workers accuse OAU of intimidation

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CADEMIC and non academic workers of the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ibadan campus, at the weekend accused the management of using soldiers, policemen and members of the Odua People’s Congress (OPC) to intimidate them.

The workers, who have been on strike for nine months, said soldiers and policemen of the state special security outfit, Operation Burst, threatened to shoot them when they were holding their congress.

Speaking with The Nation, the Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Dr. Olufunmilayo Ande, and the Chairman of the NonAcademic Staff Union (NASU), Comrade Oladeinde Olufemi, narrated how members were dispersed at their congress twice by security agents allegedly invited by the management to force them to sign the register.

Olufemi said: “Some members of Operation

From Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

Burst stormed our congress and threatened to shoot our members.

They switched off our electricity generating set, seized our microphones and harassed our members.

“Why should the management decide to force workers to sign the attendance register when the is-

sue that led to the crisis is yet to be resolved? The Director, Prof. Benjamin Ogunbodede, is being economical with the truth and his words need to be taken with caution. How can he say that the Vice-Chancellor ordered the opening of attendance register when there is no circular to back it up. It is all lies. It is part of his insincerity and high-

handedness that led to this crisis.”

Ogunbodede said “the story of the union leaders was concocted to give the dog a bad name”.

He said the workers were not intimidated by security agents to sign the attendance register, claiming that the union leaders prevented willing workers from signing the register.

MAN, Mr. Ayo Jeje, has been killed in Erijiyan-Ekiti.

It was gathered that the victim was found dead after gun shots were repeatedly heard from the compound of Mr. Seguni Adewumi, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member in the community.

Sources said the mother and younger brother of a chieftain of the party were injured. They were said to be receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital.

The shootings, which started in the evening of Good Friday, continued till Saturday morning and resumed on Saturday evening.

A resident, who pleaded for anonymity, said “everyone thought armed robbers had invaded the town”.

Ogun PDP dispels ‘feud’ among NWC members

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HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State has faulted reports of alleged crisis among members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) over plans to conduct a fresh congress in the Southwest and nominate a candidate for the vacant post of the National Secretary.

The proposed congress will lead to the replacement of the Chief Ishola Filani-led Caretaker Committee with a substantive Zonal Working Committee and the former National Secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, who was sacked by the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Janu-

ary 11.

In a statement yesterday by the its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Waliu Oladidupo, Ogun PDP said: “It is public knowledge that all actions taken by the national leadership of our great party, under the leadership of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, were based on court orders and judgments.

“Therefore, no person or group, no matter how powerful, can subvert or upturn valid court pronouncements until they are set aside or reversed by a superior court.”

The party also faulted claims that the Court of Appeal, Lagos, granted a stay of execution in respect of the judgments that the

PDP complied with.

It said: “The appellate court only granted a stay of execution in respect of FHC/L/CS/1248, which was between the then Dayo Soremi-led harmonised exco and the PDP to determine whose responsibility it was to conduct ward, local government and state congresses.

“As at the June 25, last year, when the Court of Appeal granted the stay, the Soremi-led exco had left office, having successfully conducted congresses and handed over to the Mr. Adebayo Dayo-led exco. Again, the question is: can you stay a completed act?

“Besides, the judgment in FHC/L/CS/1248, which was

in favour of the Soremi-led exco, the courts also gave judgments in favour of the succeeding Dayo-led exco in uit No. FHC/L/CS/347/2012 and FHC/L/CS/282/2012.

“These judgments nullified the Southwwest Zonal Congress where Oyinlola emerged or ought to have emerged in accordance with the zoning arrangement of our great party.

“From the facts above, it is clear that some bad losers were trying to use a section of the media to deceive the public.”

Ogun PDP urged the national leadership to forge ahead in its efforts to reposition the party and not be distracted by the “orchestrated campaign of some mischief makers”.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

9

NEWS Aregbesola, others extol monarch’s virtues

Hope in God, The Nation MD urges Nigerians

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HE Managing Director of Vintage Press Limited, publisher of The Nation, Mr. Victor Ifijeh, has urged people to hope in God in any situation they find themselves.

He said humans are born to face challenges and win, adding that God created us to be victorious.

Ifijeh said problems are inevitable in life, but humans must take charge whenever they come.

He spoke in Lagos at the launching of a book, entitled: You are born to win, written

by Rev. Lekan Adeleke of the Shepherd Flock International.

Ifijeh, who chaired the occasion, said people should al-

By Jeremiah Oke

ways be thankful to God for his mercy.

He said people should give to the poor as well as the house of God, because God always proffer solutions to our problems.

Ifijeh said: “God has given us the guideline to live our life. Life is full of struggles and God has packaged us to live victoriously.

For this reason, there is no need for anybody to be depressed or scared of tomorrow.

“God has given us everything we need to conquer whatever challenge comes our way. We need to cultivate the habit of giving to the poor. We must be thankful to God; give to the house of God and speak

the word of God all the time.”

He said the book would inspire the hopeless and bring them closer to God. Rev. Adeleke said he wrote the book after he discovered that many people have lost hope in God. He said: “As a pastor, I have heard several cases and listened to many brethren speak as if they are helpless. Some speak as if God is dead and others as if there is no hope. I want people to know that as long as they live, there is hope for them.

“Challenges are bound to come in life. If we refuse to do what has been spelt out in the bible, when the challenges come, they may overwhelm us and make us think there is no hope.”

‘Everybody knows I am very close to him.

I am like his first child and he is my confidant. I will greatly miss him. What he has done in my life and the lives of many Iwo people can never be quantified’ From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

•Arebgesola

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SUN State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, at the weekend described the late Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Ashiru Tadese, as “a man of courage and conviction”.

Amosun woos Ogun indigenes in Diaspora

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GUN State Governor Ibikunle Amosun has urged Ogun indigenes in Diaspora to assist in developing the state.

He spoke with them during an interactive session at the Victory House, Old Kent Road, Central London.

Describing the state as “work in progress”, Amosun said the government lacks the wherewithal to fulfil all the needs of the people.

He said: “I urge you to make your vast technical know-how and network available for the development of our state. As you continue to be credible stakeholders in the economy of your host communities, you must also play active roles in the development of our state.

“You can partner the government by making recommendations on the utilisation of funds, in the design of infrastructure and by making your services available to our people.

“For example, medical pro-

fessionals can organise workshops to train our medical personnel at home on recent developments in the health sector. You can also bring your vast network to play by attracting investment to the state. There are ample opportunities for Public-Private Partnership (PPP).”

Amosun said his administration would soon build housing estates in Abeokuta, Ota and Ijebu-Ode and urged his audience to buy some of the housing units, as well as invest in the project.

Explaining that his administration plans to “house, cloth and feed Lagos residents”, he said: “We wish to be to Lagos what New Jersey is to New York. We have land, good climate and abundance of natural resources. Our 5.1 million population provides one of the best trainable work force in the world. You will find us worthy partners. We must work together in this journey to greatness and take our state to the desired height.”

Reiterating his administra-

tion’s commitment to fulfilling its “Mission to Rebuild” through its five cardinal programmes, Amosun said: “This inter-related programmes will help to build an egalitarian society, which will provide opportunities for everyone.

“We are talking about a society with the right atmosphere, where the people will fully exploit their potentials and contribute to the growth of our state.”

The governor said his administration has attracted development partners to Ogun and cited the opening of the German Technical Cooperation’s country office in Abeokuta, the state capital, as one of them.

He said: “Prior to that, Ogun was the only Southwest state and one of the three chosen in the country by the organisation for the implementation of the ‘ProPoor Growth and Promotion of Employment in Nigeria’.

“I believe our state was chosen because the organisation saw our determination

Ogun ACN, Yoruba Unity Forum eulogise Oluwole Awolowo

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HE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Ogun State and a pan-Yoruba group, the Yoruba Unity Forum (YUF), have condoled with the Awolowo family on the death of Evangelist Oluwole Awolowo, son of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

In a statement yesterday by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Sola Lawal, ACN said being the custodian of the Nigerian Tribune, the oldest private newspaper in the country, Oluwole’s death has created a leadership vacuum.

The party said: “His absence will be greatly felt by the management of the Tribune and the media industry because he carried out his functions as publisher with diligence and credible ethical standards, thus sustaining the dream of its founder.

“Nigerian Tribune, established in 1949, is a success story and this could not have been possible without the diligent contribution and support of the late Oluwole.

“We acknowledge his early courageous foray into politics as a member of the youth wing of the then National Council of Nigeria and Cameroon (NCNC) at the age of 12 and

From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta and Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

his contributions as councillor in the then Lagos City Council and member of the Lagos State House of Assembly in the Second Republic, representing Apapa at both levels.

“The chieftaincy titles conferred on him in Ijanikin and Isolo in Lagos, Owo in Ondo and Ijeun in Abeokuta, and the fact that he was a prince of two Royal Houses in Remo land, Ogun State, are instances of his worthy and commendable humanitarian services.

“As a remarkable entrepreneur and evangelist, who served the Lord till his death, the late Oluwole lived a fulfilled life.”

The party prayed that God will grant the family the fortitude to bear the loss.

In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Dr. Kunle Olajide, YUF said: “The Vice-Chairman of the Forum, Bishop Bolanle Gbonigi, and members of the organisation commiserate with the founder and chairperson of this organisation, Yeye Oodua, Mrs. H. I. D. Awolowo, and the entire Obafemi Awolowo dynasty on the passing away of Evang. Oluwole.

“YUF received news of his death with deep shock, but with gratitude to God Almighty that he lived a simple life. He was a very hardworking man and a silent achiever with an unobtrusive personality.

“For about four decades, he held forte successfully as the Publisher and Vice-Chairman of the inimitable Tribune titles, effectively steering the ship of the organisation.

“Even in difficult times for the print media, the late Oluwole was always on top of the situation, ensuring that the Tribune titles remain vibrant and independent. In the tradition of the Awolowo Heritage, he was a detribalised Nigerian patriot and a committed Yoruba leader.

“In the last two decades, he devoted his time and resources to the work of God, propagating the gospel as a renowned evangelist. He was a philanthropist, always ready to assist the needy. It is heartrending and painful that my good old friend, ‘Unbreakable’, is no more.

“May God grant Mama HID and the Awolowo dynasty the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.”

to grow, our sincerity and the brilliance of our programmes.”

Amosun said Ogun is in partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO) on polio eradication; the United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on healthcare and advocacy for children, women and other vulnerable groups.

He hoped that with the February 26 visit of former United States (US) President Bill Clinton to Abeokuta, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) would partner Ogun on agriculture.

He spoke at the Baptist High School, Iwo, during the Fidau and final burial ceremony for the late monarch.

The governor said the late Oba Tadese believed in justice and the rule of law.

He said the late Oluwo stood by him during the legal battle to reclaim his stolen mandate.

Aregbesola, who was represented by his deputy, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori, condoled with the family of the monarch and urged Iwo indigenes to continue to live in peace.

The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, an Iwo indigene, said the monarch was his confidant and advisor.

Adeoti said the late Oluwo’s leadership style would be missed, adding that he sustained and facilitated development in Iwo. He said: “Everybody knows I am very close to him. I am like his first child and he is my confidant. I will greatly miss him. What he has done in my life and the lives of many Iwo people can never be quantified.”

The Asiwaju of Iwoland, Mr. Gbadegesin Adedeji, acknowledged the contribution of the late Oba Tadese to Iwo’s development.

A prominent son of Iwoland, Chief Abiola Ogundokun, said the late monarch used all his resources - energy, time and money - to serve his people.

He urged the people, irrespective of their religious and political affiliation, to remain united to honour the memory of the late maonarch.

Preaching at the Fidau, the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Iwoland, Evang.

Paul Adegoke, said the deceased’s contribution to the development of humanity would remain in the minds of the people forever.

Evang. Adegoke preached on the vanity of life and urged the people to live as if they will die any time.

He said: “Everyone should move closer to God in deeds and thought. There is time for everything in life. There is time to live and time to die; time to plant and time to reap; time to come to this earth and time to go back home.”

The Chief Imam of Iwoland, Alhaji Mudasiru Akinlade, said the late monarch was “a simple man, who will be missed by all”.

He urged people to move closer to God, adding that nobody knows when death will come.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

10

NEWS

Dangote, NGC to invest $20m on fuel conversion

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ORKIR International Gas and Energy Company, a subsidiary of Dangote Group and Nigerian Gas Company (NGC) is to invest $20 million on the purchase and sale of gas and conversion of fuel vehicles to Compressed-Natural-Gas(CNG).

The two companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

The 20-year contract agreement is to harness natural resources, such as gas, locally and effectively and to provide the country with a chit that can convert fuel vehicles into gasoline vehicles at an af-

fordable price.

Speaking to reporters in Lagos, the Chairman, Borkir International Gas and Energy Company, Sanni Dangote, said the company plans to have eight stations.

He said two stations are on ground and the others would be ready in the next five months.

“The company expects to spend close to $100 million in the next couple of years to cover all the major highways and major cities in Nigeria.

“People’s perception could be a challenge. They may be considering whether

or not it is economical to convert into CNG or how reliable it will be as well as the availability of the gas in different stations.

“But the truth is that everybody knows that gas is a cleaner energy.

“And for availability and reliability, we decided to invest into the initiative to make the gas available at a fixed price based on price contract.

“We have opened conversion centres on major roads and highways where vehicle owners can diagnose their engines and other parts of

their vehicle before conversion.

“We have got 5,000 trucks signed into our contract and this gives us the platform to demonstrate that this project will survive.”

Unlike the price fluctuation of PMS, Dangote reiterated that the advantage of gas is that there won’t be any price fluctuation since it is a product that is based on price contract.

“The price contract can be guaranteed for a long period, either for six months or one year.

“Another advantage of

the chit we are introducing is that it is optional.

“If you run out of gas, you can run on diesel at a full range. Vehicle owners are not restricted.

“Also, a one year warranty of performance will be given to every converted vehicle,” he said.

The NGC Managing Director, Saidu Mohammed, said the agreement is to harness gas locally.

He said the NGC, which operates over a 1,500-kilometre network and various stations has been propagating the use of gas.

‘APC’ll dislodge PDP’

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HEcandidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the last Kogi State governorship election, James Ocholi (SAN) has said the All Progressives Congress (APC) is growing stronger to push out the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Ocholi spoke at the inauguration of the merger committee at the state level at the weekend.

Ocholi, who is the leader of the CPC in the state, told the committee to be open and receptive.

“I am aware that there are members of the PDP who are disenchanted with the underdevelopment in the state and are ready to join us, so you must not shut the door against them.”

He urged Governor Idris Wada to be transparent in the conduct of the forthcoming council elections in the state.

“I am aware that the party in the merger- CPC, ANPP, ACN- have already gone to court on this matter.

“We are asking, among other things, that the election be put on hold until the commission is properly constituted.

“The chairman of the commission and four of its members are in the PDP. The chairman was a PDP aspirant in the last House of Assembly election. So he cannot supervise any credible election.

“Wada must demonstrate integrity by overhauling the electoral body. Otherwise, it would just be a mockery of democracy,” he added”.

The state CPC Chairman, Muhammed Kassim Mabo, said his party was working to ensure its victory in future polls.

He thanked Ocholi (SAN) and the member representing Lokoja/ Kotonkarfi Federal Constituency, Buba Jibril, who was elected on the platform of CPC for their support for the growth of the party in the state.

PUBLIC NOTICE ONISURU I formerly known and addressed as Miss Rabiu Kabirat Olabisi now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Onisuru Kabirat Olabisi. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

‘Embrace knowledge economy’

By Medinat Kanabe

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HE Executive Secretary, Nigeria Universities Commission, Prof Julius Okogie, has advised the Federal Government to embrace knowledge economy.

He spoke at the maiden final competition of the Nigeria Private Universities Debate (NIPUD) with the theme: “Nigeria’s Vision 20:2020, The Facts, The Farce and The Figures”.

He said: “There can’t be a Vision 20:2020, if we don’t embrace knowledge economy in this developmental phase of the world.”

Okogie, who was represented by Prof Adebisi Balogun, former Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Akure, said most of the universities in the developed countries participate in the development of their economy.

He said capacity development would assist in achieving vision 20:2020.

“Many Nigerians contribute substantially to the development of the economy of developed countries,” he stated.

Okogie further stated that we need to diversify in Nigeria as no country can survive having a mono-cultural economy.

“We depend on oil so much not knowing that in no time the oil will dry up because it is not renewable, only your knowledge is renewable,” he added.

Iwopin Mill to resume operations From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

MEMBER of the House of Representatives, Abiodun Abudu-Balogun, has expressed hope that the moribund multi-billion Naira Nigerian Pulp and Paper Mill Industries, Iwopin, Ogun State, would soon resume operations.

The paper mill was established by the Murtala/Obasanjo administration in 1976 to provide pulp product, bonded papers.

Balogun, who represents Ogun Waterside, Ijebu East and Ijebu North Federal Constituency, said arrangements to resuscitate the facility had reached an advanced stage.

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) lawmaker spoke at the graduation of over 100 trainees of National Directorate of Employment (NDE) and his personal empowerment programmes in Abigi town and Ijebu Igbo.

He said the revived paper mill would make jobs available to the youths and boost the socio-economic fortune of the host community.

A •Anambra State Govenor Peter Obi at the Holy Rosary Hospital, Waterside, Onitsha...yesterday

Naval chief blames prosecuting agencies for oil theft

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HE Chief of Naval Staff, Vice-Admiral Dele Ezeoba, has blamed prosecuting agencies for rising oil theft in the Niger Delta.

Ezeoba spoke after touring the creeks and military formations within the region.

He said the breach of pipelines and stealing of petroleum products would reduce, if agencies vested with the power of prosecution arraigned suspects and jailed them.

“The lack of diligent prosecution of arrested suspects by

responsible agencies, such as the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the police is responsible for the rising oil theft in the Niger Delta.”

He praised the Navy and the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) for living up to their responsibility by arresting suspected oil thieves.

“The law enforcement agencies responsibile for prosecution should ensure that the

culprits caught are charged to court, prosecuted and jailed.

“That will serve as a deterrent for would-be perpetrators.

“What we find is that there is more of the surveillance and response but that of enforcement is negligible. “ It frustrates the efforts of the officers and men who put their lives on the line to fight this scourge.”

Ezeoba challenged oil firms to provide sustainable state-ofthe-art security apparatus to aid proactive response to oil

theft by security agencies.

“This is germane to this fight so that we will deter would-be intruders and avert a situation where the pipeline is already breached before we are called in to action.

“That is the mandate of the oil majors. They have to provide frontline security that will ensure the safety of the pipelines.

“We need more enduring proactive structures that will give us stand-off capabilities to deter these intruders from breaching the pipelines.”

Bayelsa defends trial of 22 protesting youths

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HE Bayelsa State Government yesterday defended the arrest of 22 protesting youths, saying their protest was illegal.

Some unemployed youths allegedly protested in Yenagoa, the state capital, to draw government’s attention to their plight.

But in a swift reaction, the government ordered their arrest and immediate prosecution.

At a briefing yesterday, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Francis Egele, said such protest was il-

•’Their protest was illegal’ legal and sponsored by some politicians to undermine the administration’s effort at job creation and empowerment.

“Just as they have the freedom, others have theirs. In the process of exercising yours and you infringe on others, the law will frown at it and prosecute you. And that is what we have done with the protesters.

“In fact, their protest went beyond what they were supposed to do by law. There is no way you protest and harass

people. That’s wrong and it is likely to breach peace. And if you watch the protest, it is pure blackmail.

“You can imagine somebody claiming not to have a job, wearing a branded T-Shirt.

“How did they get it?It means antagonists of this administration are sponsoring them.

“The days of rascality are over in the state. And that is why you see relative peace in the state.

“It has made Bayelsa the saf-

est place to live in. In respect of employment, I am aware that the state has a local content law for which we are trying to go in partnership with private companies.

“I am sure if you observe we have a particular quota of 75 per cent from level one to 10.

“Like you all know, this is a government anchored on the rule of law. And we expect the citizenry to do everything possible to conform to the rule of law.”

Explaining how the government recruits, the commissioner said: “In terms of civil serv-

ice, we have procedures.

“In the Civil Service, you have to apply before you get invited for interview and employment.

“The employment is not automatic. The Civil Service can not employ everybody in the state.There is a limit to which government can go.

“What we are against is people not following due process in the demand for their rights.

“There is freedom of speech and movement but you should not use such freedom to infringe on other peoples’ rights.”

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

11

NEWS Anambra to build maternity centres

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HE Anambra State Government is to establish rural maternity centres in partnership with the Church.

Governor Peter Obi said this at the weekend at the foundation-laying of a pharmacy and diagnostic centre at the Holy Rosary Specialist Hospital and Maternity, Waterside, Onitsha.

The governor, who also presented a N10 million cheque, said the government was expanding its collaboration with the Church by initiating more projects.

He said the maternity centres are part of initiatives to scale up interventions towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

The Catholic Archbishop of Onitsha, Rev Valeria Okeke, said provision of social amenities and infrastructure in the rural areas would check the prevailing rural-urban drift.

Erosion sacks community From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

R •From left: Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN), Chairman, Regatta Planning Committee Olusegun Jawando and former Managing Director of Zenith Bank Jim Ovia at the Lagos Water Regatta 2013 celebrating Lagos Aquatic Splendour at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island...yesterday.

PHOTO: OMOSEHIN MOSES

FAAN, Bi-Courtney bicker over N1.2b debt

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HE Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has asked BiCourtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL) to pay it N1.9billion for services it rendered to Bi-Courtney at the domestic terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

Bi-Courtney described the alleged debt as a figment of FAAN’s imagination.

It insisted that it is the authority that owes it N132 billion in judgment debt.

BASL is operating the domestic terminal under the Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) concession agreement.

FAAN’s General Manager, Corporate Communications, Yakubu Dati said the figure represents the total amount owed FAAN for the services it rendered the company as spelt out in the concession agreement since September 8, 2007, when Bi-Courtney began operating the terminal.

•It’s blackmail, insists firm It alleged that Bi-Courtney has rebuffed every attempt to recover the debt, including debt reconciliation meetings between officials of the two organisations.

These debts include aviation security (N45,604,085.74); fire/safety cost (N36,649,223.96); marshalling (N2,125,065.54); electricity cost (N252,038,510.006) ; maintenance band, (N200,000,000.00); (concession fees (N726,900,069.00); Hotel (N97,200,000.00); Hotel, (N9,720,000.00); Conference Hall (N73,860,219.00); Conference Hall (N7,386,021.00), totalling N1,968,634,455.95.

FAAN alleged that the Federal High Court in Lagos dismissed an application filed by Bi-Courtney, seeking to restrain FAAN and its agents from taking possession of the four-star hotel and conference

centre at the airport.

Dati said: “It is important to state that since Bi-Courtney started operating the BOT terminal in 2007, it has refused to make its audited account available to FAAN, despite several reminder letters.

“Bi-Courtney made that application without notifying FAAN, in its traditional style of getting court injunctions behind the Authority, in virtually all the cases involving the two organisations.”

But Bi-Courtney’s spokesman Steve Omolale- Ajulo said: “FAAN claims that an action of ours seeking to restrain it from interfering with our hotel and conference centre projects has been dismissed.

“It made the statement without showing a copy of the court ruling, the title of the case, or even the date it was delivered.

“This is a figment of FAAN’s imagination and it is consistent with its desire to misinform the public.

“Our natural inclination is to ignore the ranting of FAAN. “We are only constrained to respond because some unsuspecting members of the public can be misled by the statement.

“For the avoidance of doubt, we are not in any way indebted to FAAN. “On the contrary, FAAN is indebted to us. The Federal Government and its agencies, including FAAN, owe us over N132 billion in judgment debt.

“Our position has been confirmed by the arbitral proceedings and court judgments.

“FAAN appealed against the court judgment and the appeal was dismissed.

“There is no court judgment or order against us.

“All the judgments and orders are against FAAN that believes that it is above the law.”

Court upholds Okonjo as Obi of Ogwashi-Uku

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HE Court of Appeal , Benin Division, has declared the Umu Obi Obahai royal family of OgwashiUku, Delta State, the only family qualified to produce the Obi of Ogwashi-Uku. The court also upheld the appointment of the father of the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Prof Chukuka Okonjo, as the Obi of Ogwashi-Uku. The court upheld the decision of the High Court of Delta State, Ogwashi-Uku, which sat on the same issue.

Okonjo comes from the Umu Obi Obahai royal line of Ogwashi-Uku. The Court of Appeal upheld

•’Obahai is sole ruling family’

By John Austin Unachukwu

nine of the 10 reliefs sought by the Umu Obi Obahai royal line, including the issue of the family that can produce the Obi. The judgment endorsed the position of the Obahai family that succession to the throne of the Obi of Ugwashi Uku is hereditary by primogeniture and that the last validly installed Obi of Ugwashi Uku was Obahai.

It also confirms that Dieyi, the forefather of the Dieyi family, which challenged the Obahai position was never an Obi

but a mere regent, who held the throne in trust because Obahai’s children were minors at the time of his death.

A statement by Okonjo’s spokesperson Law Okolobi said the council was pleased that the truth has been confirmed and justice carried out.

The statement added that the Obi is convinced that the judgment is a victory for the people of Ogwashi-Uku. Obi Obahai reigned from 1870 to 1882. Since his demise, the regency prevailed until 22 years ago when his descendants decided to take back the

stool.

The defendants contended that the monarchy had changed hands severally and, having been gazetted by the government, the stool should remain with the Dieyi Family.

This prompted the plaintiffs, especially the Okonjos, to go to court.

“His Majesty, the Obi of Ogwashi-Uku, Prof Chukuka Okonjo and the Obi-in-Council, are very pleased that the truth in this matter has been confirmed and justice served.

“It is the Obi’s conviction that the judgment is a victory for the entire people of Ogwashi-Uku,” the statement reads.

No Crack in Edo ACN, says Oshiomhole

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DO State Governor Adams Oshiomhole has assured supporters of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) that there was no crack in the party over alleged imposition of candidates during the party primaries.

Oshiomhole urged ACN supporters to dismiss speculation that the party would lose the April 20 local government local elections.

The governor spoke in

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

Agenebode, Estako East Local Government, when the party began campaign in the locality.

Oshiomhole, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Protocol and Government House, Mika Amanokhai, said the misunderstanding arising from the party primaries has been re-

solved.

“It is normal for people to feel aggrieved after such activity because a winner must emerge and it will be only one person.

“Those who lost out must have something to complain about which was exactly what happened in our case and that is not enough to say the party is polarised.

“We have reconciled the aggrieved persons with the

candidates and have spoken to those who went to court to withdraw.”

The chairmanship candidate, Suleiman Abdulmalik Afegbua, promised to replicate Oshiomhole’s achievement at the local level.

Commissioner for Environment Clem Agba urged the people to vote for the ACN so as not to hinder the development recorded by the Oshiomhole-led administration.

ESIDENTS of Obuofu, Awka, in Anambra State have raised the alarm on the menacing gully erosion in the area.

They said property worth millions of naira has been lost to the erosion, while neigbouring villages have been cut off.

The community has written to Governor Peter Obi to come to their aid.

The Secretary-General of Awka Development Union of Nigeria (ADUN), Charles .C. Ekwunife, who conducted reporters round the area, said the only remedy is for the government to intervene.

He said the gully has destroyed farm lands and crops and had consumed many buildings in the area.

A community leader, Ben Muo, said they had been making efforts to attract the World Bank to the site to no avail.

Complete project, says Orji From Ugochukwu Ugoji-Eke, Umuahia

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BIA State Governor Theodore Orji has urged the Minister of Works to ensure that the Arochukwu/Ohafia Road is completed this year.

Orji spoke when he inspected the road and the NkporoAbiriba-Ohafia-Osso Edda road at the weekend.

The governor said: “Before now, the Nkporo Road had been a pathway. Now things will never be the same for the community and others around it. However, we will only clap our hands when the project is completed.

The Minister of Works, Mike Oziegbe Onolememen, represented by Godwin Eghieye, assured that the two roads would be completed on time.

Classroom block inaugurated From Polycarp Orosevwotu, Warri

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HE Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) at the weekend inaugurated a six-classroom block worth N31 million at Odimodi, Burutu Local Government Area of Delta

State.

The Chairman of the Odimodi Federated Communities, Sunny Gbegha, praised Shell for considering Odimodi community for the project.

Gbegha, who represented by the community’s PRO, Isaiah Ingo said: “We thank Shell for the project but still want to appeal for the piling and reclamation of the canal, expedite action for the treatment of plants to enable us enjoy portable water for drinking, renovation of Odimodi civic centre, fencing of the school premises.”

The Forcados Terminal Installation Manager, Emmanuel Wordu, who spoke for Shell, assured the community that Shell would always give support to education.

He urged the students and teachers of the Odimodi Grammar School to make judicious use of the property.

Three killed in accident From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

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HREE people were killed yesterday in an accident involving a truck belonging to a brewery and a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) in Onitsha, Anambra State.

An eyewitness said the accident occurred at Lagos Park, Upper Iweka, at noon.

He said the victims have been taken to the hospital and the bodies deposited at a morgue.

But the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Hyginus Omeje, denied that anybody died in the accident.

He said officials arrived on the scene almost immediately but the people refused to go to the hospital. Omeje said hoodlums started drinking the beer from the brewery truck.

The FRSC official said there was another accident at toll gate but nobody died.

Obi orders re-opening of market From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

NAMBRA State Governor Peter Obi has directed the re-opening of the Ose Okwodu Market, Onitsha.

The market was closed because the traders refused to pay taxes, levies and other fees stipulated by law.

In a statement directing the re-opening, the governor said he wanted to help the people, adding that he was driven by the spirit of Easter.

He directed the traders to fulfil their obligations to government as instructed by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

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THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1 , 2013

NEWS EASTER MESSAGES Oyo Speaker pleads love OYO State House of Assembly Speaker Monsurat Sunmonu has admonished Christians to show love, sacrifice, devotion and peace as they celebrate this year’s Easter.

In a message in Ibadan, the state capital, by her Publicity Officer, Mrs Afolake Balogun, the Speaker noted that the essence of Easter should not be neglected because Jesus Christ was crucified for the sins of mankind.

She said the resurrection of Jesus signifies the need to repent and forsake sins.

Mrs Sunmonu urged those in authority to live by example.

She congratulated Christians on the completion of the 40-day fasting and urged them to move closer to the virtues of Jesus Christ.

The Speaker added that Christians need to be moderate in their spending during the celebration.

Mrs Sunmonu condoled with the family of the late political icon, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his wife, Mama H. I. D. Awolowo, on the death of their son, Chief Oluwole Awolowo.

The Speaker said the death of the publisher of Nigerian Tribune titles was a big loss to the Awolowo family and Nigeria.

Mrs Sunmonu prayed for the repose of the soul of the deceased and for God to grant the family, the workers of Nigerian Tribune and Mama Awolowo the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

‘Embrace Christ’s virtues’ THE lawmaker representing Lagos East Senatorial District, Gbenga Ashafa, has said Christians should emulate Jesus Christ for his exemplary sacrifice, love and selflessness.

The senator admonished Nigerians to emulate the virtues of Jesus Christ by embracing other people, including those who despise them, in brotherly affection.

He said this remained a central focus of Christianity.

In his message to Christians in Lagos, Ashafa noted that Easter is celebrated when Christians all over the world reflect on the excruciating experiences of Jesus Christ on the cross and his triumph over death.

The senator said this should not be lost on Nigerians in their period of challenges, suffering and deprivation.

He said: “I enjoin all Christians to emulate the virtues of Jesus Christ as a good and an exemplary leader without which there will not be anything called Easter today. This is a sober period that everyone of us, regardless of our religions, should be our brother’s keeper. This is the only way peace can reign, instead of the incessant security challenges the country is battling at the moment.”

Orji urges Christians to pray for nation

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BIA State Governor Theodore Orji has ad vised Christians to pray for the nation’s peace and unity.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary Ugochukwu Emezue, the governor noted that Christians need to use the resurrection of Jesus Christ for prayer to end bombings in parts of the country.

He said human and material resources have been destroyed in such violent acts.

Orji said one of the solutions to the nation’s security challenges is prayer so that God would make those who are bent on destroying life and property to have a change of heart.

From Ugochukwu Ugoji-Eke, Umuahia

The governor said there is no problem that prayers cannot solve.

He urged the residents to show love to the less-privileged during the festive season, adding that it is more blessed to give than to receive.

Orji reassured Abia residents, including non-indigenes, that his administration would ensure their security because security agencies have been placed on the red alert to ensure that law and order are enforced during the Easter celebration.

Also, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate in the

last election, Chief Reagan Ufomba, urged those in authority to remember the less privileged during the Easter period.

The politician said such public office holders need to reflect on the virtues for which Christ died on the cross, for the celebration to be meaningful.

He appealed to Abia residents to pray for God’s intervention in the affairs of Nigeria and the state to extinguish negative forces that hinder progress.

According to him, such negative forces include avarice, maladministration and unwarranted waste of life and property by religious fanatics.

Ufomba said: “Just as

Christ remained committed to his mandate, people in authority must see it as their duty and a sacred opportunity to serve through exemplary conduct and not for selfish acquisition of wealth, power and pursuit of policies that affect negatively on the citizens, which in turn

increase suffering and poverty.”

The politician urged those in authority to make Easter a time to make amends and assist the less-privileged with gifts as well as create the environment for improved socio-economic, political and spiritual development.

Church decries insecurity

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HE Methodist Church of Nigeria has de scribed the insecurity in the country is frightening.

Besides, it decried the lingering unemployment, corruption and various social vices that have bedevilled the society.

At its annual Synod in

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

Okitipupa, Ondo State, the Igbobini Diocese of the church faulted Nigerian leaders for serving personal interests to the detriment of the populace.

A communiqué by the Diocesan Bishop, Rev. Amos Ajiboye (JP) said: “This situation is worrisome; there is no arm of government that has been spared the menace of corruption in the country. Even though the issue of corruption has been brought to the front burner at the National Assembly, no solution has been found.

“The synod was, therefore, not satisfied with the lukewarm attitude of the government towards finding a lasting solution to it.”

The church decried the high rate of youth unemployment, adding that several industries have become moribund while electricity supply has been wreaking havoc among the citizenry.

It called for a better relationship between the church and government for the benefit of Nigerians.

The synod cautioned the government against imposing taxes on the church and called for massive support to the Wesley University of Science and Technology (WUSTO) in Ondo State.

On workers’ welfare, the church frowned at non-payment of salaries to local government and primary school teachers in the state.

It noted that the situation has •Archbishop Ecclesiastical Province of Lagos (Anglican Communion) and Bishop of St Jude’s Cathedral Church, Ebute-Metta, adversely affected the families Lagos, Prof Adebayo Akinde (middle) flanked by Mr and Mrs Kayode Sonaike after the Easter Sunday Service...yesterday of such workers.

PHOTO: ABIODUN WILLIAMS The synod hailed the retiring prelate of the church, Dr. Sunday Makinde, for his meritorious service.

It prayed for divine guidance From Damisi Ojo, Akure NDO State Governor ther progress, he said the gov- in the selection of his successor.

“Jesus’ life exemplified The synod also hailed NigeOlusegun Mimiko ernment and the people sacrifice. He lived and died yesterday urged Ni- the need to put the pursuit of for humanity. No sacrifice would need to make more sac- rians for their courage in the face of economic hardship and Chrisgerians to reflect, in the spirit selfish and parochial goals could be greater than this. As rifices. of the season, on what fur- aside and devoting time and we celebrate Easter, thereMimiko prayed that God tians for facing the persecution ther personal sacrifice they energy to societal goals.” should grant the nation peace of Boko Haram insurgency in fore, we need to emulate Congratulating Chris- Christ and reflect on what can make for the developto enable it grow and develop. the North. ment of the country and man- tians on the celebration of sacrifice we can make to Easter, Mimiko said: “With move the society forward.” kind.

In a message, the gover- security challenges facing The governor said his adnor said: “Christ, the per- Nigeria, Christians, and non- ministration has worked tiresona in the centre of Easter, Christians alike must under- lessly to transform Ondo State THE senator representing gerians would appreciate epitomised sacrifice of self stand that we have only this in its first four years and is Oyo South in the National the need to be their for the good of all. Celebrat- country to call our own. So, poised to even do more durAssembly, Olufemi brother’s keeper and thus ing him, therefore, must be be ready to seek peace with ing its second term.

Lanlehin, has urged Chris- shun all divisive tendencies with a deep understanding of one another.

For the state to make furtians and other Nigerians to which cause present instaemulate the virtues of toler- bility. ance, sacrifice and love which “As a matter of fact, if evChrist symbolised. ery citizen of this great In a message in Ibadan, the HE Northern States From Jide Orintunsin, Minna The forum also urged Ni- Oyo State capital, by his me- country thrives to be ChristGovernors’ Forum gerians to pray for the quick dia aide, Olawale Sadare, the like in his or her private and (NSGF) yesterday alive today only by God’s resolution of the security senator said Nigerians have public life, there would be urged Christians to imbibe grace and favour and not challenges confronting the much to learn from Jesus no reason for the spate of civil unrest, corruption and the ideals of perseverance, because we are in any way nation.

Christ to enable them live high poverty level, as being sacrifice and commitment to special before the AlThe statement advised all harmoniously. witnessed in parts of the the will of God, which Easmighty”. to pray for and work towards He noted that peace is necter stands for.

In a statement in Minna, peace, stability and progress essary to build a prosperous country.

“It is, therefore, pertinent Its Chairman and Niger the Niger State capital, by of the country, adding that nation that would be the to say that since Jesus rose State Governor Mu’azu his Chief Press Secretary, there is need for the people pride of all. from the dead on Easter. NiBabangida Aliyu yesterday Malam Danladi Ndayebo, to support the actualisation Lanlehin said: “Every congratulated Christians the governor advised Nigeof the nation’s Transforma- Easter period affords us the gerians should be optimistic about our dear country and Nigerians for witnessrians to render selfless sertion Agenda. opportunity to reconsider ing Easter. vice to humanity, the esThe forum wished Nige- the significance of the life emerging from its woes to The governor reminded sence of Christ’s resurrecrians memorable Easter cel- of Jesus Christ as contained reclaim its pride of place among the comity of nathe faithful that “we are tion on Easter Sunday. ebrations. in the scriptures. In this, Ni- tions.”

Mimiko calls for sacrifice to develop Nigeria

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Lanlehin asks Nigerians to emulate Christ

Northern governors greet Christians

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THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1 , 2013

NEWS EASTER CELEBRATIONS

•Archbishop, Catholic Archdiocese of Ibadan, Most Rev. Felix Alaba Job, praying during Easter Service at St. Mary’s Catholic Cathedral in Ibadan...yesterday

•Catholic faithful renewing their Baptism promise and belief in resurrection of Christ at Easter Vigil on Saturday Night at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Gwagwalada, in Abuja.

•Lagos State Deputy Governor Mrs. Adejoke Adefulire Orelope (second right) Bishop of Lagos Anglican Diocese, Most Rev. Ephraim Ademowo (left), his wife Oluranti (left) and Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija at the Easter Sunday Service at the Cathedral Church, Marina, Lagos...yesterday.

PHOTO: ISAAC JIMOH AYODELE.

•Catholic Archbishop of Lagosm, Dr Alfred Adewale-Martins and Chief Molade Okoya-Thomas after the Easter Sunday celebration in Lagos...yesterday PHOTO: RAHMAN SANUSI

•Deeper Life Bible Church Orchestra performing at the Easter programme in Suleja, Niger State...yesterday

•Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria Dr. Sunday Olamakinde flanked by Chaplain Dan Agbese and Bishop of Trinity Rev. Sunday Olayemisi at a service at Methodist Church of the Trinity, Tinubu Square...yesterday.

PHOTO: ISAAC JIMOH AYODELE.

•Archbishop, Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha, Most Rev. Valerian Okeke (fifth right) and Chaplain of Onitsha Prisons, Rev. Fr. Pius Nwankwo (sixth right) with 31 inmates that were consecrated with the Sacrament of Confirmation in Onitsha...yesterday

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

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DISCOURSE

From the barricades of resistance to the verandah of power:

Personal reflections on democracy, governance and state reconstruction in Nigeria

Text of the paper presented by Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Governor of Ekiti State, as visiting lecturer for the monthly‘Nigeria in the World Series’at the Weatherhead Centre for International Affairs, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA. Introduction N March of 1995, I was on an Air France flight to Lagos, Nigeria. The plane was to make a stop-over in Cotonou, Republic of Benin, where I was to disembark. I was then a persona non grata in my home country, Nigeria. Indeed, I was on the list of those declared wanted by the autocratic and homicidal regime of General Sani Abacha. Among other “crimes” that the regime accused me of having committed was the fact that I was the arrow-head of the founding and management of the pirate opposition radio, which was initially, called “Radio Freedom”, and later “Radio Democracy International.” It was renamed “Radio Kudirat International” after the assassination of the activist wife of the winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Basorun M.K.O. Abiola on June 12 1996, whose electoral victory was annulled by the military regime led by General Ibrahim Babangida in June 1993. As General Abacha’s Information Minister put it at the time, “the operators of the radio had been successfully tracked down by the security agents…let them bear in mind that what they are committing is treason but whenever they are picked up for trial, people will start shouting human rights violations…”

General Abacha had consolidated the annulment of an election which was globally acclaimed to be the freest and the fairest in Nigeria’s history. He also jailed the winner of that election. Even before the annulment of the election and the eventual hijack of power from the illegally installed Interim National Government (ING) in November 1993, some Nigerians abroad, including myself, had organized a strong coalition of activists to oppose military adventurism in our country and campaign across the world for the return of democratic rule in Africa’s most populous country.

However, things reached a feverish point when Abiola, backed by a coalition of pro-democracy groups, decided in June 1994 to declare himself the duly elected President of Nigeria. The Abacha regime heightened its vice-grip on the country, jailed many opposition leaders, assassinated some and chased many more into exile.

Through all these, we increased the tempo of our activities against the maximum ruler in exile and worked hard to persuade the free world and its leaders to help free Nigerians from the shackles of militarism and autocracy. It was in the context of this that we started a pirate FM radio station which later broadcast to Nigeria from a Western Europe country on short wave transmission. But because our location was not disclosed, the regime searched everywhere in Nigeria fruitlessly to discover the location of the radio station.

When it failed, it accused the American Embassy of harbouring the studios of the radio station. Unknown to the regime, what had started as a mobile broadcast station within Nigeria, was now located in Norway.

As I noted in my memoirs of this era, Out of the Shadows: Exile and the Struggle for Freedom and Democracy in Nigeria1: The arrival of the shortwave radio [Radio Kudirat International] with a nation-wide reach…was without doubt the most direct message to the military dictatorship, that sooner than later, it will have to dialogue with the real representatives of the Nigerian people.

A media scholar in Nigeria noted that Radio Kudirat gave the Nigerian military regime “nightmares” and became the “spearhead of the opposition abroad.”

You can therefore imagine my own “nightmare,” when instead of heading for Cotonou, the plane stopped over in Lagos, where General Abacha’s security men were set to search through the plane to check if there were any dissidents on board, particularly those of us marked as “high security risk.” You can imagine the horror of a man who more or less had a price tag on his head having to wait in the plane for the forty five odd minutes stop-over in Nigeria. I will spare you the details of how I survived and was able to return to Nigeria at the end of the brutish reign of General Sani Abacha. But as many of you may know, the pro-democracy movement, supported by our friends across the world [and I would particularly like to pay tribute to Ambassador Walter Carrington – former US Ambassador to Nigeria in those trying years – who is in this audience with his lovely wife, Dr Carrington], eventually triumphed and Nigeria returned to democratic rule in May 1999. Since then, Nigeria has enjoyed its longest spell of democratic rule since independence in 1960.

I have told you this story to provide a context for my discussion of the challenges of transiting from the barricades of resistance into the veranda of power. For the better part of the first half of my life, I was involved in storming the Bastille of power, seeking to democratize and humanize power. And in the last few years, I have become one who is responsible for power, one holding power in trust, and one seeking to deploy power in the service of good causes. Therefore, my reflections in this lecture centres around understanding the relationship between fighting against and fighting for. While much of what we did during the years of pro-democracy struggle was constructed as a struggle against unaccountable power, it was also a struggle for accountable power, a struggle for life, for liberty, and for the pursuit of happiness - as the American credo would have it.

Therefore, because we were not merely fighting against a particular manifestation of unaccountable, irresponsible and even vicious power, and the injustice, inequity, inequality, social bondage, poverty, and economic misery reproduced by this unaccountable power, eventually, some of us were compelled to also seek for power to be able to fight for the reversal of all these negative experiences forced on our people. Our resistance was consequently

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•Dr Fayemi

not only to stop power from violating the commonwealth and the people’s will, but one that was geared towards seizing power and putting it in the service of the common good.

As a scholar, journalist, writer and activist who used a powerful life of the mind to confront mindless power, I am very mindful of how to employ power in propelling human minds, particularly in my state, towards the creation of a better life for our people.

Resistance, power and state reconstruction in Nigeria Democracy is a permanent work-in-progress. So is nationbuilding. Few statements exemplify this better than the American mantra of making “a more perfect union.” If the United States, a nation forged out of common purpose and common consent, perpetually seeks to make a more perfect union, it is evident that the task of nation-building will be far more daunting in a state created without the consent of the people and imposed by a colonial power. It is even more dismaying if such a state refuses to re-create itself and re-negotiate the basis of its fundamental national association. This is the challenge that we have faced in Nigeria. But it is not a challenge that calls for despondency or despair, hence I often shudder at the various epithets used to describe the state of our states in Africa in political science literature – failed, collapsed, incapable states and so on, rather than acknowledge these challenges as nation-building trajectories.

One of the most salient items of the agenda of the pro-democracy coalition that fought for democratic rule in Nigeria from the late 1980s to the late 1990s, was the need for structural changes in the Nigerian federation. There were many manifestations and dimensions of these structural fatalities. These included the issues of constitutionalism, fiscal federalism and revenue allocation, the nationality question, citizenship and bill of rights, sovereignty of the people and the integrity of elections, civilian control of the military, separation of power, checks and balances, independence of the judiciary, and so on. Given the fact that the resistance in the late military era was over-determined by the question of the sovereignty of the people, the integrity of elections, and human liberty, it was not unusual that after the termination of military rule, those of us involved in the pro-democracy movement had to engage in a new battle within the context of democratic rule.

I will use my personal experience to illustrate this new struggle and the challenges that this produced. When I first returned to Nigeria in 1999, I opened a Nigerian office for the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) - a research and training institution dedicated to the study and promotion of democratic

Democracy is a permanent work-in-progress. So is nation-building. Few statements exemplify this better than the American mantra of making “a more perfect union.” If the United States, a nation forged out of common purpose and common consent, perpetually seeks to make a more perfect union, it is evident that the task of nation-building will be far more daunting in a state created without the consent of the people and imposed by a colonial power. It is even more dismaying if such a state refuses to re-create itself and re-negotiate the basis of its fundamental national association. This is the challenge that we have faced in Nigeria. But it is not a challenge that calls for despondency or despair, hence I often shudder at the various epithets used to describe the state of our states in Africa in political science literature – failed, collapsed, incapable states and so on, rather than acknowledge these challenges as nationbuilding trajectories.

development, peace-building and human security in Africa - of which I was the director in London, United Kingdom. Having served as an adviser to many governments, inter-governmental and development agencies in and beyond Africa on issues such as transitional justice, regional integration, constitutionalism, security sector reform and civil-military relations, I felt compelled to concentrate on using my energies and talents to ensure the full democratisation of the emerging and old public institutions in Nigeria. As they say, charity begins at home. Having helped in expanding the democratic space and consolidating developmental programmes around the continent of Africa, and while not abandoning such commitment, I felt the need to participate more in the new atmosphere of freedom in my country.

In conjunction with other civil society activists and our old friends who were now in office and in power, we decided to use our expertise, experience and commitment to do important things in the areas of constitutionalism, justice and human rights, reform of the security sector and socio-economic development.

First, we worked hard to convince President Olusegun Obasanjo to begin a process of truth and reconciliation. The long years of military rule not only bruised the national psyche, it also led to the violation of individual and people’s rights, mass killings, marginalization of the minorities and gender inequalities, among others. We mobilised our local and foreign partners to convince the president to follow the example of South Africa after the end of apartheid. Even though what eventually happened did not equal the scale and dimensions of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa, the Human Rights Violations Investigations Commission (otherwise called the Oputa Panel) which the Federal Government set up, was the first time in Nigeria’s history that the nation made a conscious and methodical attempt to confront its ugly past. I served as the main technical adviser to that Commission.2 Beyond human rights violations, we also recognised that one of the gravest dangers inherited from the years of military rule was the militarisation of the society and the politicisation of the security sector in Nigeria. We knew that to continue to keep the soldiers in the barracks, safeguard our democracy, and save the country from the terrible experiences of the past, we needed to reform the military, the police and intelligence agencies. Again, given my expertise as a civil-military relations scholar, and one who had been a technical expert to various governments and inter-governmental bodies on Conflict Management and Security Sector Governance, I was invited to serve on the Presidential Implementation Committee on Conflict Management and Security Sector Reform, helping to formulate a new Grand Strategy for National Security. This committee proposed important reforms and reorientation in the security services some of which, where implemented. I can proudly state that this has helped in ensuring the longest spell of democratic rule without military intervention in Nigeria’s history and one of the drivers of this fundamental change who deserve our commendation – General Abdul-Rahman Danbazau, former Chief of Army Staff is here in the audience with us. Thank you sir!

There were still other challenges. The many years of unaccountable power, both during military and civilian rule, had turned a country which used to boast of itself as one “flowing with milk and honey” into an indebted and derided nation, and one in which more than seventy per cent of population lived on less than one dollar ($1) a day. Therefore, I was happy to also be a member of the Presidential Implementation Committee on New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and Millennium Development Goals. NEPAD is an initiative of the African Union started in 2001 to pursue new priorities and approaches to the political and socioeconomic transformation of Africa and I had been involved in its preparation from inception. The main objective of NEPAD is the enhancement of Africa’s growth, development and participation in the global economy. The Presidential Committee in Nigeria was charged with domesticating the continental goals of NEPAD. In regard of the Millennium Development Goals, which include ending poverty and hunger, ensuring universal education, gender equality, child health, maternal health, combatting HIV/AIDS, ensuring environmental sustainability and global partnership, Nigeria joined all countries of the world and leading development institutions in the world in committing itself to these laudable goals.

In all of these, I realised that the challenges of resistance at the barricades were as grave as the tasks confronting those who were democratically elected into power. In some of the tasks I mentioned above, we succeeded. But in the face of opportunistic politics of the ruling party in Nigeria, the fundamental questions of our time were not been adequately addressed.

I saw clearly - based on my earlier experiences at the barricades, in civil society activism, in development work and now in providing strategic assistance to the government of Nigeria - that at the centre of my trajectory and public life was the issue of governance. The question was fundamentally one of how to ensure what one of the greatest visionaries in our part of the world, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, described as “freedom for all, and life more abundant.”

To do this, there was no question in my mind that we had to start at the sub-national level of governance. I saw the challenges at the top of the political architecture in Nigeria and came to the conclusion that real reform was not going to happen there unless and until we drive it from the margins. I also realised that it was not sufficient to come out of the shadows - as the title of my book on my years of exile and activism is called – only to provide development and strategic assistance to those in power, particularly given their failure to confront the fundamental questions of governance in Nigeria. I concluded that it was time to move towards the veranda of power; to confront directly poverty, hunger, illiteracy, diseases, gender inequality, infant and maternal mortality, and the other evils that limit the possibilities of Africa’s most boisterous and most populous nation.

• Continued on Page 15

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

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DISCOURSE Text of the paper presented by Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Governor of Ekiti State, as visiting lecturer for the monthly‘Nigeria in the World Series’at the Weatherhead Centre for International Affairs, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.

From the barricades of resistance to the verandah of power • Continued from page 14

Democracy, Elections and the Power of Resistance ET “Elections do not a democracy make!”

As the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES). IFES Vice President for Programs, Michael Svetlik, recently reminded us: even though there is an increase in the number of countries holding elections, the will of the people is not automatically reflected in these elections and thus there is no direct correlation between holding elections and deepening democracy.

Yet, among the many qualities of democracy, election is one of the most important. In fact, it is a central quality of democracy. Without committing what scholars have described as the “fallacy of electoralism,” we can say: no election, no democracy. To actualise democracy, we must have elections. Staffan I. Lindberg argues that, “in newly democratizing countries [elections] do not signal the completion of the transition to democracy but rather foster liberalization and have a self-reinforcing power that promotes increased democracy.” Elections “also facilitate the institutionalization of and deepening of actual civil liberties in the society and are a causal variable in democratisation.” While agreeing that elections constitute a “viable means of ensuring the orderly process of leadership succession and change and an instrument of political authority and legitimation,” at the start of the 21st century, Said Adejumobi stated that, in the African experience, “both the structure and process of elections, the former being the organizational infrastructure for managing elections and the latter, the precepts and procedures of elections, remain largely perverted.

Election rigging and brigandage, violence and election annulment are common practices….”

He concluded that “Elections in their current form in most African states appear to be a fading shadow of democracy, endangering the fragile democratic project itself.”

If free and competitive elections can be pressed towards the service of the consolidation of a small elite, even an autocracy, such as in Tanzania,6 it is easy to imagine what then happens when elections are not even free, fair or competitive. In such contexts, we will be in the zone which some African scholars have described as one of the “abrogation of the electorates.”

I will illustrate this attempt to abrogate the electorate, suborn the judiciary, terminate the freedom to elect and be elected, and subvert the very essence of democracy with my experience in Ekiti State.

As I stated earlier, having decided to confront the challenges of governance squarely at a lower level of governance and in my own state, that is, to move from the barricades to the veranda of power, I brought together a group of likeminded thinkers, scholars, civil society activists, and a couple of politically-savvy persons. I announced my intention to contest the governorship race in my home state of Ekiti, having agreed to the prodding of many highly respected figures in my political environment.

Having being involved at the global, continental, regional and national levels in the struggle for the humanisation of our world, it was time to bring the gospel home. My campaign motif was “Collective Rescue Mission.”

The case of my home state was particularly pathetic at this point. Despite the envious history evidenced by the many decades in which the state was at the centre of the enlightenment project in the Western part of Nigeria, producing more professors per square kilometre than any other part of Africa, the state had been captured, literally, by a cabal of vote-stealing, thieving, irresponsible, and violent politicians. Political assassination and maiming and harassment of the opposition were the order of the day.

Against this backdrop, many people warned me against running against the violent gang in power in my state. They asked: “What does a scholar like you know about politics? Politics is violence and corruption, you cannot survive.”

But I remained undaunted and had confidence in the yearning of our people for good

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governance, despite the temporary reign of an illegitimate governor and his party.

The New York Times reported my bid for the governorship, in a story published in November 24, 2006, that is, a few months before the election, headlined: “Money and Violence Hobble Democracy in Nigeria.” Let me quote some parts of the story: ‘ADO EKITI, Nigeria — Early one Sunday morning in June, a mysterious text message flashed across Kayode Fayemi’s cellphone. “Since you continue to oppose Governor Fayose, we shall kill you,” the message read, referring to the bare-knuckled incumbent at the time, Ayo Fayose. It was signed, “THE FAYOSE M SQUAD.” Mr. Fayemi, a candidate for governor in this tiny state in southwest Nigeria, tried to brush off the threat. But if there was any doubt what the M in the message stood for, it evaporated six weeks later, when another candidate for governor, a World Bank consultant, was stabbed and bludgeoned to death in his bed….

“This is democracy at work in Nigeria,” Mr. Fayemi muttered as he drove between campaign stops in Ekiti in early November. “Murder and money, violence and fraud.”’

This story captures the danger I faced and the task that confronted me. Eventually, the elections were held in early 2007, and I won. But while the results were being announced, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) colluded with the ruling party, the People’s Democracy Party (PDP), and its governorship candidate, to declare Segun Oni as the winner of the election.

Fraud, violence and money had “won” temporarily.

For someone who has been tested in the battle against military rule, one who had spent several years at the barricades, this was not the end of the road. I headed for the Elections Tribunal to plead my case. Yet, one of the factors I mentioned in the New York Times story prevailed. The tribunal members were suborned. They declared my opponent as the winner. I went to the Appeal Court. The Appeal Court ordered that the elections be conducted again in 63 of the 177 wards to determine the winner. The PDP rigging and violence machine went into high gear.

Indeed, there has never been anything like the re-run election in Ekiti State in April and May 2009 and I pray there will never be anything like it again. It was like a badly produced Nollywood movie complete with a cast of villains, heroes, heroines and bullies, all acting out a bewildering script that kept changing by the hour. Yet, I won the elections. But before the head of the State electoral commission, Mrs Ayoka Adebayo, could declare me as the winner, she was threatened. She therefore went into hiding. This was two years after the initial election in 2007.

When she emerged from hiding and was summoned to Abuja, she was intimidated to declare my opponent as the winner. Again, we went back to the Tribunal, urging the people to eschew violence. In the end, on October 15, 2010, three and half years after I won the election, the Appeal Court finally declared me as the validly elected governor of Ekiti State and asked that I be sworn-in immediately.

This is the power of resistance. We took the barricades to the veranda of power. The voice and the vote of the people prevailed and the whole state erupted in joy.

Governance and resistance in power One of the biggest impediments to good governance in Africa is the absence of strategic planning and strategic thinking by those who seek power before they start the process of seeking power and before coming into office.

We are lucky that in south-western Nigeria, we are heirs to a tradition of strategic planning and

•Dr. Fayemi

strategic thinking in public administration and governance, a tradition that even predated formal political independence. By the late colonial era, that is in the 1940s and 1950s, when many parts of Africa were still gripped exclusively by the sloganeering of anti-colonial activists, our leaders sat down to do a forensic analysis of the political, economic and social circumstances of our region and the rest of Nigeria.

They came up with practical solutions to the challenges confronting both our region and the federation of Nigeria. Therefore, by the time they got to power, they were fully prepared to deliver on the promises made in the areas of education, social welfare, agriculture and health care.

Therefore, as heirs to this progressive tradition, we could do no less, despite the violation of this heritage before we came to office. Long before I announced my bid for the governorship, myself and my team had spent many months to study the reality in Ekiti State and to debate the critical areas of intervention that were needed. This resulted in what we called “A Road Map to Ekiti Recovery.” This road map was elaborated in the 8-Point Agenda. Our 8-Point Agenda were fully guided as much by the globally-accepted standards of measuring good governance as they were by the socio-economic and political realities of Ekiti State.

There is consensus around the world that good governance denotes the “political and institutional processes and outcomes that are deemed necessary to achieve the goals of development.”10 The key elements of this, as acknowledged by local and international organisations, include participation, rule of law, transparency, responsiveness, consensusbuilding, equity and inclusiveness, effectiveness and efficiency, and accountability.

Against this background, our eight-point agenda which aggregate all aspects of sociopolitical economy of the state include: Governance; Infrastructure Development; Modernisation of Agriculture; Education and Human Capital Development; Health Care Services; Industrial Development; Tourism development; and Gender Equality and Empowerment. In this 8-point Agenda, not only are the key elements of good governance evident, we also paid attention to the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG).

Through the modernisation of agriculture and human capital development, we have paid attention to the Millennium Development Goals of ending poverty and hunger; through our focus on education, we have paid attention to such MDG of ensuring universal education; through our programmes on health care services, we have taken care of child and maternal health; through the development of tourism and infrastructure, we have contributed to environmental sustainability; and through the attention we have paid to gender equality and empowerment, we are meeting the Millennium Development Goal of gender equality.

However, I will be remiss if I do not emphasize the fundamental question of public culture.

Given the state of affairs in the eight years preceding our coming into office, bad governance, corruption, official violence and brigandage had all led to the erosion of the values that hitherto defined public culture in the state.

Therefore, we needed to also resist the corrosive practices that had become institutionalised by

‘There is consensus around the world that good governance denotes the “political and institutional processes and outcomes that are deemed necessary to achieve the goals of development.”10 The key elements of this, as acknowledged by local and international organisations, include participation, rule of law, transparency, responsiveness, consensus-building, equity and inclusiveness, effectiveness and efficiency, and accountability’

the time we came into office. We also needed to resist the culture of anything goes in the bureaucracy, within government agencies, and sadly, even in the public sphere and civil society.

Another form of resistance was consequently needed to face the task of governance squarely and ensure that the people had access to the benefits of egalitarian rule - which we had promised them during the years of campaign and struggle to reclaim our mandate. Helping to recreate our political culture had to be the starting point and the guiding principles of rebuilding infrastructures and ensuring development.

As leading sociologists and political scientists - starting from the American political scientists, Gabriel Almond and Sidney Verba, and followed

by European political scientists, such as Gerhard Lehmbruch and Arend Lijphart, have noted political culture is at the centre of the operation of any political system. Since Almond and Verba’s famous 1963 work, The Civic Culture, many people, both in scholarly and lay literature, have concentrated on how the dominant beliefs, values, and attitudes about politics and the character of the political system, can constitute both cause and effect. Political culture has political, economic and social consequences. They give order and meaning to the political process and they constitute “the underlying assumptions and rules that govern behaviour in the political system.”11 Therefore, an essential first step that we took was to rechristen the state as ile yi, ile eye (“The Land of Honour”). Against this backdrop, we redefined governance in Ekiti State, such that public commentators now acknowledge that there is a renewed sense of pride and belonging in the citizens of the state, based on the restoration of the core Ekiti values of passion, courage, integrity, meritocracy and honour. We have also restored the confidence of both local and international developments partners and investors, many of which are now back in the State.

State reconstruction Let me provide a few concrete examples of what we have been able to achieve in the last two years in the veranda of power. [During the question and answer session, I will be able to illustrate these further and make further clarifications.]

In the area of Governance, our goal was to enhance participatory governance and accountability, thus motivating the citizens with ideas for better productivity, and creating an intellectual bank for policy formulation and implementation. In this bid, we have taken a number of crucial steps and recorded important achievements.

For example, for the first time in the history of the state we established a regime of legislations to guarantee a predictable environment of good governance and promote transparency and accountability. We domesticated the Freedom of Information Law, therefore, in our state, citizens have the right of access to government documents which are not classified - the first state to so do and we also enacted into law a Fiscal Responsibility bill, a Public Procurement Legislation, a Public Private Partnership Law and a Gender Based Violence Prohibition Law amongst forty new legislations passed into law.

For the first time in the 16 year history of the state, which was created out of the old Ondo State in 1996, we have replaced the Edicts and Laws of the old Ondo State with the Laws of Ekiti State.

Second, we adopted a merit-based system of appointment and promotion of civil servants, including at the highest levels of the bureaucracy.

The chief bureaucrats, including the Head of Service, Permanent Secretaries, and the Accountant-General, were all selected through an open and competitive process. In an environment which had been dominated by patrimonialism and clientelism, this was a transformative step and it has led to the rejuvenation of the civil service, such that we now have civil servants who are capable of driving the people-focussed policies and programmes of the government. We also focussed on increasing the revenue base of the State by reducing our dependence on what comes from the Federation account.

We also instituted a social security benefit scheme - the first of its type in any state in Nigeria.

This is backed by law so as to ensure continuity.

It is therefore now a scheme of the Government of Ekiti State and not merely the policy of my administration. Based on this scheme, we give monthly stipends to indigent citizens over the age of 65 years. We currently cater for over 20, 000 senior citizens in the State. This is in addition to our Free and Compulsory Education programme up to senior secondary schools and our free health programme which focuses on the vulnerable segments of our population – children, the elderly, pregnant women and those with physical disabilities.

• Continued on Page 16

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

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DISCOURSE

From the barricades of resistance to the verandah of power Conclusion of text of the paper presented by Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Governor of Ekiti State, as visiting lecturer for the monthly‘Nigeria in the World Series’at the Weatherhead Centre for International Affairs, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA. • Continued from page 15

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N the terms of Infrastructural Development, our goal is to establish optimum communities that will improve the lives of citizens and attract investment. Our target is to ensure that every part of the state is accessible by major roads by the end of our first term - which is in two years. This has never happened in the history of the state. We are also making water dams in the state functional so as to increase water supply by eight per cent (80%), while using the public-private partnership to increase the generation and supply of electricity. In the last two years, we have focussed on urban renewal through many projects. We have embarked on massive road construction and expansion, rural electrification project in communities that previously had no electricity; we have established a State Ambulance Service unit which is able to respond to emergencies; we have provided portable water and water treatment plants to many communities.

Agriculture employs about seventy-five (75%) of our population. Therefore, agriculture is at the centre of our programmes. Nigeria used to be a world leader in cocoa production up to the early 1970s. In fact, the enlightenment project re-started by the late colonial era indigenous government in our area of Nigeria was partly based on the economic resources derived from the sale of cocoa. Ekitiland in south-western Nigeria was an important part of cocoa production. That ended from the late 1970s. We are now reviving cocoa plantation to make Ekiti a world leader again in this area of production. This will generate employment for tens of thousands of our citizens, particularly the youth and also focussing on cassava, rice and oil-palm. We project that 20, 000 of our youths would have been trained and employed in mechanised agriculture by the end of our first term in office. We also project that agriculture will contribute fifty per cent (50%) of our internally-generated revenue. To achieve this, we have improved the conditions for farming in the state, thus guaranteeing effective cultivation, harvesting and processing of agro produce.

We want agro-business to thrive in our state and change the fortunes of the state as well as those of our citizens. Towards this end, 15, 000 farmers have been assisted through the supply of agro-chemicals and fertilisers. This has led to the cultivation of several thousands of hectares of land. We have funded overseas training for agro-workers in cocoa rehabilitation in Indonesia and China; we have refurbished the Orin Ekiti cassava processing plant and upgraded the plant output from 10 tonnes to 60 tonnes per day under a private-public partnership with Vegefresh Agro-Allied Company. We have also rehabilitated and constructed many kilometres of farm access roads; cultivated and supplies 500, 000 cocoa seedlings and 60, 000 oil palm seedling to farmers at highly subsidized rates, and collaborated with British America Tobacco Nigerian Foundation and FADAMA III project in the construction of a $1 million cassava cottage industry which has created jobs for about 3, 000 women and more than 1, 000 youths.

In the area of education and human development, our target is to put a computer on the desk of every secondary student by 2014, while providing free and compulsory education up to senior secondary school level, including special initiatives for the physically-challenges students.

We have delivered 17, 512 computers to teachers and 33, 000 Samsung solar laptops through the Ekiti State E-School Project. We have invested vast resources in the last two years on knowledge acquisition and skill development to enable our citizens to work effectively in a rapidly changing and complex global environment. Our investments in human capital represent our most critical intervention in the process of state reconstruction in Ekiti State. Other accomplishments include the complete refurbishment of all the public secondary schools in the state; procurement and distribution of furniture as well as science and sports equipment to all public secondary schools across the state.

We have also sought to improve teacher quality whilst successfully merging the States’ three universities into a better funded single state

university. Other initiatives focus on skills based technical and vocational education in the State.

[There are several other initiatives that I can discuss during the question and answer session] Human development is not sustainable without massive investment in healthcare delivery, which include capacity building and infrastructure and staff welfare and disease control. Therefore, in the area of Health Care Services, we have been providing, in the last two years, free medical services for children, pregnant women, the physically-challenged and senior citizens. We have also established health centres in all localities, while increasing immunisation coverage. This year, we have embarked on our ‘Operation Renovate all health centres and hospitals. More crucially, we have embarked upon a strategic re-development of health management information systems while embarking upon the rehabilitation of health training institutions. We have greatly improved maternal healthcare, disease control, while also making the regulation of private health institutions more effective. Through our investment in medical education, in the specific case of the Ekiti State School of Nursing and Midwifery, the students in the school achieved a 90% success rate in the National Nursing Examination. We have constructed a new Accident and Emergency wing in the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, while also creating a State Health Data Bank. We have renovated and extended the secondary healthcare facilities in the State, and enacted the Primary Healthcare Development Agency Act. Our health sector indices vis-à-vis the national average bear testimony to the significant steps being taken in the health sector. Ekiti has one of the lowest maternal and child mortality rates in the country, the lowest HiV prevalence and the highest life expectancy in Nigeria.

To be able to generate employment, development and empower the citizens to pay taxes, we have been providing the enabling atmosphere for industrial development. To jumpstart this, we have created technology and industrial parks for small and medium scale enterprises, established micro-credit facilities for promising entrepreneurs, while also promoting agro-allied and solid minerals sectors. We also plan to make Ekiti State a most attractive destination for relaxation and holidays by developing the Efon, Okemesi, Ikogosi and IpoleIloro tourism corridor, a heliport, and world class hotel and accommodation facilities. We are incredibly blessed by nature in Ekiti State. For instance, we have the Ikogosi spring where both natural warm and cold water flow from the hills to the valley. I invite you to Ekiti State to enjoy this most fascinating and unusual blessing of nature.

Our administration is just concluding the redevelopment of the first phase of the Ikogosi Warm Spring & Resort as the flagship of the tourism industry in the state. About 116 hectares of land was acquired for this new Resort, with plans for theme parks, spas, high-altitude sports academy, resource centre for women, gold course, edutainment centres, and sports academy. The hotel part of the Resort will be a 150-room branded international three-star hotel. We plan to spend N1.5 billion in creating a mini-paradise in the Ikogosi Warm Spring & Resort to which I invite you all when next you are on vacation. No doubt, it is now a place that the world will come to and enjoy the beauty of nature. Electric power is very central to jump-starting the local economy, especially in the area of agro-processing which is our focus and we are working an the development of independent hydro and solar power generation in the State.

Finally, in the area of gender equity and empowerment, we are committed to promoting gender equality and empowering women to maximise their potentials. In this context, we reserve no less than one third of all appointments and promotions for women, while mobilising resources to attend to issues of concern for women from maternal health and child care to employment and freedom from abuse.

Specifically, I signed into law, the Gender-Based Violence (Prohibition) Bill in November 2011, making Ekiti State, the first state to domesticate this law in Nigeria. We also domesticated the National Gender Policy, while providing skills acquisition programme for out-of-school girls, supporting girl-child education and inaugurating the Family Court for the implementation and administration of children and family matters.

Conclusion It is quite fashionable in both lay and academic literature to emphasise how and why Africa is not being governed well. Much of the evidence adduced in the literature is, no doubt, not only true, but also troubling.

As a civil society activist, scholar and even dissident for many years, I am aware of both the structural and agential bases of the dark prognosis on political power and what passes for government in Africa. Nigeria is one of the starkest examples of the consequences of how bad leadership can complicate coloniallyinduced structural fatalities. However, I will like to conclude by making two important points.

One, in the theorizing democracy in Africa and in analysing the challenges of democracy and state-reconstruction in post-Cold War Africa, it is important that scholars and development experts begin to look beyond the macro-state, that is the national-state, in understanding the processes of delivering good governance at the micro-state, that is, sub-national level. Perhaps all the received cynical theories of African political pathologies can lend themselves to some instruction concerning a well-articulated agenda for development based on good governance which are often under the radar of a paradigm that perpetually expects basket cases to emerge from Africa.

I can say with confidence that the process of state reconstruction and actually-existing governance in Ekiti State today is not reflected in any of the pathologies and dark prognosis popularised and almost romanticised in the literature represented by such works as Bayart, Ellis and Hibou’s book, The Criminalization of the State in Africa,12 or Chabal and Daloz’s Africa Works: Disorder as Political Instrument.13 Neither is Ekiti State emblematic of “The Politics of the Belly” popularised by Bayart in his book, The State in Africa.14 This is not to say that these books do not reflect much of the reality of contemporary Africa, I am only arguing that Western social scientists, journalists and development analysts should pay as much attention to state reconstruction, development and governance at the sub-national level in Africa as they pay to the national level. I am proud to say that in Ekiti State, we do not run the kind of kleptocracy that some have come to associate with our part of the world. We are running a government that is participatory, transparent, consensus-oriented, inclusive, responsive, effective, efficient, accountable and one based on the rule of law. Many independent bodies continue to attest to this and the latest is the Special Report on Africa in The Economist Magazine of London last week, which states as follows about Ekiti: Better governance is creeping beyond the metropolis.

When your correspondent emails the governor of Ekiti State in impoverished central Nigeria, he gets a reply within minutes, with the entire cabinet copied in…Cabinet members are highly motivated and have private sector experience. A new employment agency sends out job advertisements by text message. All secondary school pupils are getting free laptops with solar panels. All civil servants, including teachers, are tested annually; those who fail stand to lose their job…To be sure, this sort of governance is still an exception.

[The Economist, March 2nd, 2013] We are committed to ensuring sustainable human development. This is also true of our sister states such as Osun, Lagos, Oyo, Edo and Ogun States and this is why we are involved in a pioneering regional development agenda for Western Nigeria.

However, having said that, let me now flip the picture. And this brings me to my second concluding point. What many of the dark

‘To be able to generate employment, development and empower the citizens to pay taxes, we have been providing the enabling atmosphere for industrial development. To jumpstart this, we have created technology and industrial parks for small and medium scale enterprises, established micro-credit facilities for promising entrepreneurs, while also promoting agro-allied and solid minerals sectors. We also plan to make Ekiti State a most attractive destination for relaxation and holidays by developing the Efon, Okemesi, Ikogosi and Ipole-Iloro tourism corridor, a heliport, and world class hotel and accommodation facilities’

•Dr Fayemi

prognosis about Africa say is largely true at the national level. However, in our bid to federalise good governance in Nigeria, our party and political associates are working hard to ensure that we build a strong opposition platform which can wrest power from the ruling party at the centre, so that we can begin the process of humanising the totality of the Nigerian space.

For us in Ekiti State, as well as in the other states governed by my party, what is left is to federalise good governance in Nigeria; to ensure that if infant and maternal mortality rates are reduced in Ekiti and Osun States in the southwest, they must also be reduced in Sokoto and Zamfara States in the north-west of Nigeria. This is important because we are not only co-citizens, we also share a common humanity with all our compatriots in every part of Nigeria. The realisation of this shared citizenship as well as humanity makes it insufficient for us to ensure good governance in Ekiti State and not care about Jigawa and Yobe or Borno and Akwa Ibom States.

This is the new phase of resistance that people like us who were formerly at the barricades have embraced. Indeed, it is the new barricade; the barricade against bad governance, ignorance, illiteracy, injustice, inequity, incompetent leadership, want and misery in a nation which has earned over $400 billion over the last five decades from oil sale alone.

In the face of the daunting odds that our compatriots face all over Nigeria, people like me cannot restrict the struggle for good governance to my state only. Therefore, I cannot abandon the zone of resistance, even while being in the veranda of power. With seventy per cent of Nigerians living below poverty line, the reality of the poverty trap is an unacceptable paradox when measured against the country’s wealth. It is akin to what the notable political scientist, Terry Lynn Karl once referred to as the “paradox of plenty”. As I stated in November 2009 in the paper I presented at the Panel on “Ten Years of Civilian Rule in Nigeria” at the African Studies Association Annual Conference in New Orleans, “Bred by unequal power relations, the structural and systematic allocation of resources among different groups in society and their differential access to power and the political process, the distorted distribution of the nation’s wealth has resulted in the enrichment of a minority at the expense of an impoverished majority, and this minority… now use the wealth to continue to entrench their power. Inevitably, the chronic nature of poverty in Nigeria has a link to historical and continuing mismanagement of resources, persistent and institutional uncertainty, weak rule of law, decrepit and/or absent infrastructure, weak institutions of state and monumental corruption.” It is also now responsible for the insecurity that the country is experiencing.

I added that the immediate challenge is how to rescue Nigerians from bad governance, stating that: “There is an urgent need to build coalitions and platforms in the public sphere that are beyond parties and personalities, but all embracing enough to those who subscribe to the core values of integrity, honesty and dedication to the transformation of Nigeria….In my view, the problem is still about the nature and character of the Nigerian state, and it is not one that election can resolve, no matter how regular, well organized and untainted they may be. It is clear to most people in Nigeria, including the political leadership, that the question of the national structure is the central issue that will not go away in Nigeria’s quest for democratic development and effective governance.”

I will remain at the barricades, even in the veranda of power, to ensure that this quest is satisfied, not only in Ekiti State, and in the southwest region, but all over Nigeria.

Thank you for listening.

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COMMENTARY FROM OTHER LANDS

EDITORIALS

Again, another Easter •But have we imbibed its lesson?

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HRISTIANS worldwide round off the Easter celebrations today. Easter is unarguably the most important of all festivities celebrated in Christendom. Nigerian Christians joined their counterparts in the celebration, for which the Federal Government declared last Friday (Good Friday) and today public holidays, giving revellers an opportunity to unwind and have a break from the usual hustle and bustle of life. It is also an opportunity for devout Christians who observed the Lent to rest and recover from the spiritual exercise.

Easter is the celebration of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the son of the Almighty God. It marks the end of the Lenten period, during which Christians observed 40 days of fasting. This is in commemoration of the 40 days and nights of fasting that Jesus Christ embarked upon before his death on the cross and eventual resurrection on the third day. During the fasting, Christians were supposed to abstain from ungodly activities like consumption of alcoholic drinks, fornication, adultery, stealing, backbiting and other spiritual and social vices. It is a period in which they are expected to be ‘dead to sin’.

Easter’s significance lies in the resurrection of Christ from the dead, which is the essential truth of Christianity. This, indeed, is why many see Easter as the most important celebration in Christendom. Yes, Christmas is impor-

tant, but that is to the extent of celebrating the birth of Christ. However, to stop there is to miss the reason he was born.

The reason is he gave his life as ransom, to forgive the sins of humanity. That is the centrepiece of the Christian faith.

Without resurrection, there can be no new covenant or relationship with God, for mankind. And whereas every covenant God made with His people was always marked with blood of sacrificial animals; the last and greatest of these covenants was the one sealed with the blood of God Himself (Jesus Christ) on the Cross of Calvary.

For us in Nigeria therefore, the celebration affords us another opportunity for introspection and penitence. From the leadership to the led, there is something to learn from Easter. Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice, his life; that we may live.

How many Nigerian leaders can do same for Nigerians or the country? How many are even prepared to forgo the most basic comfort of office so that the generality of Nigerians may live more abundantly? With a truly caring leadership, the country’s situation will be far better than it is today. With Jesus’ kind of compassion, those in positions of leadership will not be clamouring for maximum comfort when the majority cannot even boast of one square meal a day.

The situation in the country today is even the more saddening considering the way life is being taken with impunity by

religious fanatics in the pursuit of objectives that are either not feasible or not clearly adumbrated. Let those involved turn a new leaf so that the country can be a better place for us all.

Above all, we admonish Christians who diligently observed the Lent not to return to their old ways. It is only by continuing to live Christ-like life that they can reap the full benefits of the fasting. It is also by so doing that they will not be nailing Jesus Christ on the cross for the second time. What we are saying in essence is that they should not, like dogs, return to their vomit simply because Lent is now over. Happy Easter.

‘For us in Nigeria therefore, the celebration affords us another opportunity for introspection and penitence. From the leadership to the led, there is something to learn from Easter. Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice, his life; that we may live. How many Nigerian leaders can do same for Nigerians or the country? How many are even prepared to forgo the most basic comfort of office so that the generality of Nigerians may live more abundantly? ‘

Foreign consultants?

•This reflects failure on the part of NNPC to train Nigerians for the jobs IGERIA’S unemployment challenges seem inconsequential to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its subsidiary, the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) that recently embarked on a wild goose chase of employing foreign consultants to manage their operations. In their view, the move will engender efficiency and quick service delivery in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

Iyowuna Victor Briggs, Managing Director of NPDC, represented by Malam Hamidu Namtari, the company’s executive director, engineering and technical services division at the 1st NPDC Quarterly Contractors’ Forum in Benin City, Edo State, attributed the decision to the need to face the “challenges of the company’s rapid expansion and the need

N

‘Why should a subsidiary of a corporation that is saddled with this important responsibility go to the ridiculous level of employing foreign consultants to manage its operations?

Exploration and management of oil by the corporation has spanned over four decades; so, the need for foreign experts to survive teething problems is no longer tenable. What has happened to the Local Contents Law?’

to effectively manage the large number of assets recently assigned to it.”

It is doubtful whether NPDC would have embarked on the action without the approval of its principal, the NNPC. But, why would the corporation approve such a move at this point in time when the country is faced with serious graduate unemployment problems? The NNPC started, ab initio, as Nigerian National Oil Corporation (NNOC) on April 1, 1971 through Decree no. 18 of 1971. It is sad that the corporation has departed from its enabling mandate of training indigenous workers; and also that of encouraging indigenous participation in the development of infrastructure for the industry, among others, with its current emphasis on foreign consultants.

Even after the name NNOC was changed to NNPC on April 1, 1977, the crucial statutory brief of the corporation on local manpower content development in the discharge of exploratory, production, refining, marketing, transportation, and distribution of petroleum products was not altered. Why should a subsidiary of a corporation that is saddled with this important responsibility go to the ridiculous level of employing foreign consultants to manage its operations? Exploration and management of oil by the corporation has spanned over four decades; so, the need for foreign experts to survive teething problems is no longer tenable.

What has happened to the Local Contents Law? Could it be proved that no Nigerian exists with the requisite competence to handle efficiently the operations of the NPDC? If yes, what this means is

that the NNPC has abandoned its responsibility of training indigenous manpower to handle such tasks.

What is more confounding is that NNPC and its subsidiaries ought to be the driving force behind the country’s economic development. But they are all, sadly, pursuing neo-colonial employment policy that negates the contents of NNPC’s enabling Act. The NNPC, over time, has become renowned for being a cesspit of corruption necessitating its being treated with disdain by many Nigerians.

The employment of the so-called internationally certified consultants to help upgrade its operations and strategies has confirmed the corporation as a laboratory for fraud. We ask again: what happened to successive budgets of the corporation meant for manpower training and development of Nigerians in requisite areas of operations in the oil industry? If by now NNPC and its subsidiaries still claim not to have competent, internationally recognised local manpower to tidy up its operations, then, there is something wrong somewhere with the entire corporation.

We believe that NNPC and, by extension, its subsidiaries, have failed the competence and probity tests to manage the country’s oil exploration, marketing and revenue generation. The pointer is that not less than 20 per cent of the country’s revenue is wasted and unaccounted for by the corporation.

Perhaps, the controversy over the phantom fuel subsidy would be unnecessary if NNPC is scrapped forthwith. We see no sense in the use of foreign consultants by these oil firms.

Israel and Turkey let bygones be bygones

T

HE DARKENING situation in the Middle East has produced a silver lining.

With Syria’s civil war intensifying and Iran showing no sign of slowing its nuclear program, Israel and Turkey have patched a nearly three-year-old rift. In a March 22 phone call stage-managed by President Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the deaths of nine Turks in a 2010 Israeli raid on a ferry attempting to breach the sea blockade of the Gaza Strip. That should open the way for Israel and Turkey to begin sharing intelligence and strategies for managing the common threat they face from Syria — and to increase the pressure on Tehran.

Rapprochement between Turkey and Israel, two regional powers with stable democratic governments, has a compelling logic at a time when the Middle East is gripped by war and sectarian rivalry and Egypt and Iraq are consumed with internal turmoil. But the incipient makeup will require careful nurturing.

Mr. Erdogan, who only a few weeks ago equated Zionism with “crimes against humanity,” has been undiplomatically crowing about Mr. Netanyahu’s apology; more troubling, he has insisted that the deal requires Israel to lift its sea blockade of Gaza, even though the statements issued by the two governments do not say that. Secretary of State John F. Kerry, whose behind-the-scenes cajoling helped to produce the breakthrough, will need to keep working to ensure that the accord does not crumble.

Both governments, however, have powerful incentives to cooperate. As Mr. Netanyahu explained on his Facebook page, his decision to deliver an apology he had long refused was driven by the growing threat that Syria’s chemical weapons and other advanced arms may fall into the hands of the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon or an al-Qaeda offshoot in Syria.

The two governments can now pool intelligence — and they will need to communicate in the event that one or the other is compelled to take action to prevent the transfer of dangerous weapons. Israel can also take satisfaction over the alarm the accord prompted in Iran, which will worry that one constraint on Israeli military action against its nuclear facilities has been eased.

Mr. Erdogan, for his part, aspires to return to the role of regional statesman that he occupied before the Arab revolutions, when he sought to broker deals among Israel, Syria and the Palestinian Hamas movement. “We are at the beginning of a process of elevating Turkey to a position so that it will again have a say, initiative and power,” he boasted, while promising to visit Gaza next month.

That may be too much to expect: Mr. Netanyahu’s government is as unlikely to open negotiations with Hamas as it is to fully lift its Gaza blockade. Israel, for its part, has little hope that the strategic military cooperation it nurtured with Turkey before Mr. Erdogan came to power will be revived. Even modestly better relations with Turkey and Israel are nevertheless vital to U.S. interests in the Middle East — and to containing its growing disorder.

- Washington Post

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THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

CARTOON & LETTERS

S

IR: Each time an Igbo person is killed in ethnic crisis in the North, it reminds us that the Biafra war is not over. The sentiment that led to the civil war in Nigeria is still alive. The same fear that the Igbo will take over the country politically, socially and economically and control the resources of the nation for its selfish use continues to cause the North sleepless nights.

The North in their own rationalization believes they were born to rule. The Igbo, on the other hand, is so democratic in nature that the only leadership it understands is the one that gives it the freedom for enterprise. This ideological difference could prove the conundrum of the Nigerian situation. Whereas in the North a few elites dominate the ruling class, in Igbo land everybody has equal chance of being a member of the political class. All that is required of an Igbo is excellence in his or her field of endeavour.

For example, a child of a security guard could grow up to become a leader if he or she works hard to acquire sufficient wealth. Hence it will appear the Igbo worships success, for better or for worse.

In that token, the North venerates their leaders. . The typical northerner cares less for economic, political or social ambition.

Nigeria will be better if it ex-

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The war is not over ploits the strength of its ethnicities. The unparalleled natural beauty of the North should be reserved for their simple living.

The aggressive nature of the Igbo should be promoted for their enterprise. The key being a common respect for any Nigerian to

be the best he or she can be. The killing of the Igbo in the North will not extinguish the burning desire for him or her to make money. The unfortunate rumour was that after the recent Kano bus bomb blast, some thugs in Head Bridge, Onitsha started what appeared to

be a reprisal attack only to overrun northern goat dealers and extort money from them.

The slaughtering of the Igbo in the north is totally insensitive.

There is no good sense in taking an innocent life. Such an act must be considered the highest form of

S

•Pius Okaneme Umuoji, Anambra State.

Panacea to Nigerian graduates’ global irrelevance

S

IR: Robert Kiyosaki in his book, “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” asked the question, “Does school prepare children for the real world?” “Study hard and get good grades and you will find a highpaying job with great benefits”, parents used to say. But gone are those days!

There has been a paradigm shift from focus on paper qualification to skills acquisition in the last couple of decades. But rather unfortunately, Nigeria and other African nations are waking up to these realities rather too late. It is absolute disillusionment for a twenty

first century student to have a mind-set that a first class degree is sufficient to land him that plum job when he knows next to nothing about how real corporations are run. It is a saddening reality that prompts me to address this anomaly as leaving the status quo spells doom for the Nigerian future.

The University of Lagos only recently had its convocation ceremony where over six thousand graduates received degrees in different categories. Every year, our ivory towers of higher learning churn out tens of thousands of

graduates into the labour market which is already heavily saturated.

It is no news that job availability is a mirage but even if there were more jobs than job seekers, the quality of these job applicants leaves more to be desired, constituting one of the main challenges of employers.

So much noise has been made to have our educational policies reviewed. The ministry of education has been incessantly called upon to embark on a comprehensive overhaul of our curricula and make them relevant to the real world of work. Our students in higher insti-

Let’s put an end to these senseless killings IR: Life no get duplicate’ is a popular saying here. Yet our land is literally soaked with blood, mostly of innocent citizens.

Since independence we have staggered from one bloodletting to another. Our history is one litany of butchery. Countless lives have been violently extinguished through mob attack, extrajudicial killing, assassination, ethno-religious violence and now terrorism.

How do we react to these deaths?

After every terror attack, the police and other agencies swing into action but never come up with the accurate number of casualties let alone their identities. One can now almost quote in advance, government’s press release after an attack. It usually condemns the das-

evil. On idealistic note if you take out the difference in language, there is only a human being. One hopes the Igbo do not go on a reprisal attack. This will demonstrate to the North, according to an Igbo proverb, two do not get mad. It is easier said than done to advice for peace to reign. The recurrence of these attacks on the Igbo makes it unbearable. Imagine if ones relative is among the dead. One pleads for the Igbo to take heart and consider it a blood sacrifice one makes for Nigeria unity.

tardly act while vowing to bring the perpetrators to book– I’m still waiting for anyone to be tried let alone convicted.

After government’s condemnation come those of prominent citizens. Then ordinary folks wish that the souls of the departed rest in peace and again pray God to intervene. Thereafter life goes on as usual until the next incident.

As expected the recent attack on a motor park in Sabon Gari, Kano, elicited a barrage of condemnation.

But that is where it ended. Till date no one is sure of the number of casualty or their identity. Besides those personally affected, I doubt how many of us still spare a thought for that very tragic incident.

How many still remember the gruesome murder of the ‘Uniport Four’ at Aluu, how many are interested in, or wonder what has become of their murderers? How many have been tried for the atrocities perpetrated in Plateau State, or for the riots in other parts of the North? Besides the condemnations what practical measures have been taken to forestall a recurrence of these tragedies?

I can’t help but decry our, to a large extent, indifference towards the murder or suffering of our compatriots. Is it that by nature we accept tragedies with philosophical calm or that we have become rather insensitive from repeated experience of violence? I think the latter is the case. We are becoming used

to violent deaths that news of it only catches our attention briefly after which we shrug and move on.

This is dangerous, in fact a sign of a failing society.

It’s time we reclaimed our humanity. The senseless sacrifice of humans on the altar of religion or tribalism must be utterly rejected; it must never be tolerated as is presently the case. There should be an immediate stop to mob ‘justice’, extrajudicial killings and unresolved assassinations. No death must be left unexplained and on no account must anyone get away with murder. This is the only way to demonstrate that really we consider life precious.

•Nnoli Chidiebere Aba, Abia State.

tutions cannot see the gap between what our lecturers teach and what prospective employers would require from them. Hence, they just sit tight with books of the 1950s and ‘60s with no bearing on postrecession economy. The quality of academic staff in these ivory towers is another conglomerate of disturbing issues. It is a pathetic situation!

So much as I concur that the bulk of the restructuring lies on the government, we cannot sit back and wait for a government. The private sector has got to come to the rescue because standing aloof would only be to the detriment of their future business concerns.

Many thanks to corporations and organizations which have invested relentlessly to salvage the menace of skill gap existing in our graduate set. It is high time we shifted to a sixty-per cent-practical, forty-percent-theory system of teaching.

This would avail our students in higher institutions the exposure to application of learnt theories to real life situations. It is my belief that the present administration is aware of the defects in the educational system more than any before and should be better poised to living up to its responsibility. And this responsibility involves the upgrading of the theory-focussed system to one with a healthy balance between theory and practical applications.

•Joshua Oyeniyi Lagos

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THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

COMMENTS

The stone shall roll away

I

N the effort to build up a note in line with the theme of The Redeemed Christian Church of God’s this Easter Let’s-Go-A-Fishing programme, I stumbled on a message that I found very significant to the situation of Nigeria. Since it is not debatable that the justification of Christianity is the resurrection of Jesus Christ, I could see the relevance of resurrection to the afflictions confronting the nation today. With this reality that goes beyond religion affiliation, I was convinced that there is still hope for this nation if only the right thing is done in accordance to the will and purpose of the indubitable creator of earth and man who remains the authority in heaven.

According to the message, the tomb where Jesus was laid on Good Friday is now a completely different tomb… it requires a different type of watchman. It does not need a cemetery caretaker or a company of Roman soldiers assigned to protect the dead, but an angel from the realms of light and life. The servant-angel appeared first; then his Master was later seen.

Implication? This is the signal that a new time has come; an era where heaven and earth are now joined, because Jesus Christ, the Saviour has risen. The wall of separation has fallen; God has reconciled Himself to sinful men; the sacrifice of the Son has been accepted by the Father. This is the supreme Easter truth.

Last week, reminders of the factual state of the nation were again revealed. First, it was the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur who declared Nigeria to be under attack. Tukur said: “Today, there is fear everywhere. Churches are being burnt. Mosques are being attacked. United Nations building bombed; motor parks are being bombed.

People cannot go to motor parks again to travel for the fear of being attacked. Security installations, such as police stations, prisons are being burnt down and inmates released at will. Nobody knows the next target of attack.” Correct disclosures.

Also at the 5th Bola Tinubu Colloquium, Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka and others lamented the dying of the nation. “Let’s face it. This nation is on the brink. There are those who don’t understand this, who won’t accept this. I feel very sorry that they will wake up and find out that we have fallen over the brink. It is not what we

L

AGOS is a paradox in many respects. It is the state with the smallest land mass in the country and yet the one with the highest population. Over the years, its growth has been phenomenal, both demographically and spatially. From a population of about 25,000 in 1866, Lagos reached 665,000 by 1963, covering 69.9 (km2). It became over 10 million in 1995 thus attaining, by UN definition, the status of a mega-city. It is projected to become the third largest mega-city in the world by 2015 (UNCHS, 1996). Its population is presently about 21 million according to the State Bureau of Statistics. Lagos is currently estimated to be the fifth largest city in the world. But interestingly, almost half of the state’s limited landmass is covered by water, a situation that makes land a very scarce and highly coveted commodity.

Its huge population and limited landmass have brought a huge pressure on the state as its sheer human population puts serious pressure on infrastructure in the state. For instance, the number of heavy duty vehicles that ply Lagos roads on a daily basis is more than those that ply roads across the country in a month. This is aside the number of pupils and students from other states that attend Lagos public schools in addition to patients that visit its hospitals on a regular basis. Consequently, the state spends more on infrastructural upgrading and provision of other basic life necessities than any state in the country.

Despite being relatively hospitable, the state, like all other governments world-wide, has a set budget designed to aid implementation of its programmes and activities based on available resources. In the health sector, Lagos State, without discrimination provides free health care services and drugs for Nigerians in Lagos from ages 0-12 and 60 and above. Free ante-natal care is also provided for pregnant women. These services are available at healthcare centres that transverse the state with additional Eko Free Health Mission which is carried out at intervals by the Ministry of Health to take care of the people by offering test and treatments on eye care, blood pressure, diabetes , dental care, etc.

Aside from the pressure on infrastructure, the growing population equally complicates urban development. In an attempt to live in Lagos at all cost, in view of its several fascinating offers, many people live in disorderly manner as well as in disorganized settlements that make nonsense of the state’s urban planning. Before long, most of these settlements become slums that constitute serious socio-economic threats to the state. It is in quick response to this that the government has been making conscious efforts to achieve infrastructural development and environmental renewal, initiating several programmes to reverse the ugly trend that could cause us all the Lagos that we so love dearly. Given the earlier absence of any strategic vision to manage the

envisaged during our struggle for independence”, Soyinka was quoted as saying.

CBN Governor Sanusi Lamidi Sanusi who took over from Soyinka as chairman of the event argued that it was wrong to assess a nation’s economy in isolation of the wellbeing of the people. “What is destroying this country is that people are corrupt and doing nothing.

We need to be asking, as civil society, what are we doing?” For him, “we are a country which has absolutely no regard for merit and competence.”

In Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s view, Nigeria is drifting apart because “we have leadership that is dividing us more and more every day”. The birthday celebrant insists we must question ourselves in Nigeria, since no nation has fought a religious war and survived it.

Indeed, the afflictions confronting the nation today is killing the nation, which is why the opportunity of this season of resurrection must be seized for revival if the nation is not to be lastingly scattered. In the gospel, the story is that it was very early in the morning while it was still dark, that the women went out on a task of love to complete the anointing of of their Lord’s dead body which was earlier hastily done after He was crucified.

They witnessed the death of Jesus; they had also earlier witnessed His passion for them. Now, it was time for them to give to Him, even if in death, their own passion – their own service of love. As they arrived at the tomb, they were faced with a predicament, one that they had not thought of before they set out: Who would roll the great stone away from the entrance of the tomb?

As they arrived, they discovered the stone rolled off the tomb and were afraid that grave robbers might have disturbed the resting place and the body of the Lord.

Suddenly, an angel appeared to them, sitting quite contentedly upon the stone, with a miraculous story to tell and an even greater mission: “Don’t be distressed.

You’re looking for Jesus who was crucified and died?

Well, He’s not here. He has risen! Go inside the tomb and see the place where they laid Him.” And they went inside and noticed that the grave was exactly as it would be if the body was still lying inside. But there was no body. The angel continued, “Go tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before them to Galilee. There you will see him, just like He told you.”

Now they remembered, after all, the Lord had told them about this so many times that He would rise from the dead. And indeed, He has risen.

The visions that at are being revealed about Nigeria must not be taken for granted if anyone must show sincere and true love for the restoration of the dead glories

of the nation. Tukur could hardly comprehend where we are heading to as a nation. But he said since nobody can even explain what is happening now and nobody knows the next target of attack, the nation “must come together to fight the common evil as there is fear everywhere.” Just in matching approach, Soyinka believes that with the discovery of some cells in the plan to blow up Lagos, it has become clear that the security dilemma we are facing right now is not just regional. “It is national, it is a humanistic problem.”

I concur with them for the gospel truth that the nation is in menace more so as our President seems not to know what to do and how to handle the stone blocking true transformation for advancement. That Nigeria still remains a country in spite of battles being confronted is entirely by the grace of God. If the purpose of God to be fulfilled is retarding in the hand of poor leadership, the same God might just be giving an opportunity for the obstacle stones to be rolled away that His glory might be witnessed again in the land.

The stone at the tomb was not rolled away so that Jesus could leave the tomb; but that the women and everyone else could see that He had been resurrected and was no longer confined by a grave. It was also because Jesus knew that the sinful flesh of the people could not fathom the power of God that was His as God’s only begotten Son. What are the stones preventing us from seeing the resurrection power of God in our lives? Perhaps it is the life of unrighteousness, filled with overwhelming corruption and desperation for things of the world, instead of prioritizing Him, that might have been preventing the nation from God’s intervention.

Yet, there is no doubt that the stone can be rolled away for us the people. Instead of allowing the nation to descend into a second round of destructive civil war, restoration of the corporate existence of the nation is possible.

If politicians are failing to protect the country but only focusing on 2015, pushing to remain in power, Nigerian masses must be awake to imbibe the wisdom of God. One of the ways might just be as counselled at Tinubu Colloquium that youths who are the future of this country must wake up from slumber and take their destinies into their hands through making the right choice that complies with the will of God and wipe away the wicked killing their nation.

Also, for as many with power to pray, they should do so unrelentingly for God’s mercy and intervention to roll away the stones of affliction and save us as a people.

Getting the best out of Lagos

By Lateef Aderemi Ibirogba urban environment, government should be commended for making new efforts.

One way through which government is trying to promote a new Lagos is to engage in a passionate drive to attract foreign investors to participate in the infrastructural and urban renewal drive in sectors such as transportation, roads, waste management, water provision, power, tourism, property development and establishment of bus assembly plants. Essentially, the project involves providing infrastructure, mass housing and tourism, as well as developing the adjoining town of Badagry and linking it to the rest of the state with a modern transportation system.

Other notable features of government’s current effort in turning around the lot of the state include beautification and landscaping projects across the state: loops, medians along highways, setbacks and development of recreational parks in identified locations, construction of new roads and a light rail system , construction of jetties and development of more water routes to facilitate marine transportation, construction of housing units, reconstruction and expansion of the LagosBadagry expressway into a 10-lane conduit with a light rail, a trans-regional route to link Nigeria and neighbouring countries, the inauguration of the Eko Atlantic City among others.

In view of the on- going efforts of the state government to make Lagos a better, safer and more prosperous place to live, it is essential that those who have chosen the city as their business as well residential hub should be more passionate, caring and friendly when it comes to protecting and preserving its environmental aesthetic values. Considering its strategic position in socio-economic prosperity of the country, we need to treat Lagos like a beautiful bride whose beauty and pride must be kept intact. It is by doing this, that we all would get the best out of our Lagos.

Undoubtedly, a renewed commitment to the preservation of Lagos represents a major way forward for the socio-economic renewal of the country. For one, Lagos is home to about 2,000 industrial complexes, 10,000 commercial ventures and 22 industrial estates. It contributes 30% to the nation’s GDP and is the leading contributor to the non-oil sector GDP (2011 statistics). It accounts for over 60% of Nigeria’s industrial and commercial activities; 70% of national maritime cargo freight, over 80% of international aviation traffic and over 50% of Nigeria’s energy consumption.

All the banks in the country are not only located in Lagos, but actually have their headquarters in the state, while over

40 per cent of telephone subscribers’ base networks are also in Lagos. Aside from this, Lagos consumes about 45 percent of the petroleum products in the country. Similarly, the state accounts for 20.2 percent of Nigeria’s nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 50.7 percent of non-oil GDP. Also, the two seaports in Lagos account for 70 percent of the sea trade in the country while the two electricity distribution companies Eko and Ikeja Districts account for 50 percent of PHCN’s transmission power. Similarly, about 80 percent of international air travels arrive in and depart from Lagos.

Equally, Lagos is a private sector-driven economy. Therefore, growth in Lagos would have spiral effect on Nigeria as a whole.

Equally worthy of note is that, there is hardly any part of the country that is not represented in Lagos. Progress in Lagos reflects in parts of the country, because people who live in Lagos make their money here and go to their states to invest same. All these point to Lagos as the economic nerve centre of the country. So, if Nigeria is to be rated as one of the major players in the emerging markets, Lagos truly holds the key.

It is, therefore, imperative that we embrace positive attitudinal change with regards to our handling of the environment which offers us unlimited possibilities for economic development and advancement. It is, for instance, unacceptable that spare parts traders at the popular Ladipo market, Mushin, should always wait for the state government to use the full weight of the law before they comply with simple environmental regulations. Same goes for our driving culture. The saner we make the roads to be, the better for us all.

Despite its many geographical constraints, we could all live happily in Lagos if only we respect and abide by the rules and laws of the land.

• Ibirogba is Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Lagos State

‘Considering its strategic position in socio-economic prosperity of the country, we need to treat Lagos like a beautiful bride whose beauty and pride must be kept intact. It is by doing this, that we all would get the best out of our Lagos’

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

22

COMMENTS

O

BVIOUSLY, the PDP national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur is rattled in many fronts. He is rattled by the crisis in his state’s wing of the party. He is at war with PDP governors.

And at the national level, he is faced with a daunting crisis of confidence. All of these challenges may not be his own doing per se.

Much stem from the ambition of President Jonathan to control the structures of the party albeit unconventionally. Many interests have been hurt in the process and Tukur is expected to clear the Augean stable. The thinking within the party before now is that you can bulldoze your way to dominance and latter reconcile.

Because of the influence of the party, this strategy had before now, worked successfully since members did not seem to have an alternative. That was the style of Obasanjo that shunted out the founding fathers of the party. Those who felt their ego was bruised and could no longer stomach the insult, were shown the way out and business continued as usual.

That has been PDP for you. They do this because they are sure to win elections even if it is by hook and crook. So it matters little if people leave the party in droves. After all, it prides itself as the biggest party in Africa with a vaulting ambition to rule for the next 100 years. So what difference does it make frustrating foundation members when those angling for a place in the party are not in short supply?

‘The emergence of a credible opposition is a very bold statement.

And aggrieved PDP members are not oblivious of this heart-warming reality. That is perhaps, why Tukur had to take resort to promising them heaven and earth in a bid to sway them’

W

Emeka OMEIHE 08121971199 email: EmekaOmeihe@yahoo.com

Tukur’s frustrations As usual with this make-shift fencemending agenda, after Jonathan had captured the party’s structures with impunity, Tukur had to embark on zonal tours during which he was expected to reconcile aggrieved members. But the outcome this time around, has been largely disastrous. Not only were the tours boycotted by key personages in those zones, there was practically nothing to show for it. It was obvious that the old strategy could no longer hold water.

Those being pacified had become tired of the brazen disregard of the constitution of the party, especially its principles on internal democracy. They were no longer enthused by acts of lawlessness by their leaders only for the same people to turn around to plead for questionable forgiveness. They seemed to be saying that the quick resort to Machiavellian principles of the end justifying the means has to stop. Such were the sentiments Tukur met on the ground that his reconciliation tours turned out a total fiasco.

The failure was such that the chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees BOT Tony Anenih had to embark on his own version of reconciliation tours. His success is also yet to be seen.

Apparently for want of any credible reason to offer aggrieved members, Tukur took resort to the absurd. He told stakeholders in the north-west zone that PDP is “all about patronage” In his own words, “we are going to dole out patronage to all our members who remain in the party”. This patron-

E read with interest Dr. Olatunji Dare’s comments on the stand of the Bayelsa State government to curb rumour-mongering as a serious social issue in the state. In his March 26 column, he reviewed the recent establishment of a committee by the state government to manage public information in which he expressed reservations about the possibility of curtailing freedom of expression by such development. With a bill soon to be sent to the state House of Assembly for a law punishing rumour-mongers, the columnist went as far as comparing such a law with anti-press laws in draconian colonial and military eras. We disagree with his position.

Essentially, Dare’s treatment of the inter-related issues in the scope and implication of the proposed law vis-à-vis rumourmongering is fundamentally misplaced in conception, an outright oversimplification, and of course the fear of draconian tendency is not true.

The intention of the state government is to have in place functional structures where information can be easily accessed by members of the public as well as quickly disseminating information on current issues of public concern to the people, detailing what is true or false, thereby nipping in the bud such dangerous information capable of causing disaffection and indeed reducing the incidence of blatant misinformation among the people. The idea is to avoid the bureaucracy in the ministries but have many centres so localized that you can easily find out the truth about anything relating to the government and the public. Here, people can contact or meet officials for quick response to whatever may be their concern or interest on the flow of information, including any rumour that may also affect the interest of an individual or organization in the state.

This is important because of the pervasive nature of rumourmongering among the people with inherent social crisis if not curtailed or addressed so frontally. What Dare failed to note is the peculiar nature of the society where such falsehood is politically motivated to create pure mischief and blackmail which could be dangerous to proper functioning of the government and socio-economic activities in the state.

To this extent, it becomes imperative for a responsible government to find a legal means to deter such misbehavior which in all intents and purposes is inimical not only to individuals but indeed the government saddled with the responsibility of protecting lives and property. Agreed, peace and tranquility and orderly conduct of the society is threatened when there is deliberate peddling of such terrible rumours that border on criminality. Thus government must respond by spelling out what constitutes a decent citizenship and why it is not a right to engage in conscious actions to create social crisis and looking at the strategic position of Bayelsa State in the Niger Delta, then taking legal means to have stability is a legitimate action of any serious government. This is what the state government has done and will continue to impress it on the people to be

age he further explained, will also be extended to members who contested and lost election. He said there is enough to go round every one and that there is no need for any member to leave the party.

These statements are to say the least, a great disappointment. They cast the PDP as a party with the ‘food is ready for sharing mentality; one whose quest for power is driven by the sole desire to share our collective resources among its members.

And in a clime that is characterized by brazen corruption and mismanagement of public funds, Tukur has led us into why this malfeasance has festered. We can now understand why nothing is working in this country despite the 14 years the PDP has been in power. It is now becoming clearer why the EFCC has been unable to successfully prosecute the ex- governors they arraigned for sundry financial misdeeds while in office.

It is also becoming clearer why the fuel subsidy probe and the fraudulent abuse of the scheme by sundry highly placed persons cannot go far. That is the folly of Tukur’s revelations and it should not be treated lightly.

It may not be completely out of place for party members to benefit from the government of the day. This could come in form of appointments and contracts provided such contracts were competitively bided and conformed to best practices. But it is reckless to emphatically state as the PDP chairman did that the party is all about patronage to its members.

Where do we then locate the place of the electorate within such a scheme? This poser is further reinforced when it is realized that the people constitute the ultimate sovereign on whose behalf power is held in trust.

When therefore a government in power exists mainly to service the interests of its members, such a government has become a similitude of the salt that has lost its taste.

That is the kind of emotions Tukur’s statements evoke about his party. Can any thing good come out of such a warped view of politics and governance? It is doubtful.

Perhaps, the only ground the PDP chieftain can be forgiven for such a vacuous statement is that he spoke out of frustrations and want of any credible thing to tell aggrieved members.

This line of argument is further given credence when we call to mind that he had in the same venue, told his audience that the party would face a “heavy war” ahead of the 2015 elections as a new group has come up to pull the rug off their feet. This was an obvious reference to the merger of four political parties ahead of the 2015 elections.

It may also be for the same reason that he is finding it very difficult to push through the old idea that members could be bruised and disgraced only to turn round to pacify them. Then, the PDP was having a field day.

With a multiplicity of weak parties, it was sure to win elections at least at the centre. It could therefore afford to disregard rules, impose candidates and still have its way through the advantage of the power of incumbency. His reference to “heavy war” is also very instructive. It is only hoped that this war will be prosecuted with conventional weapons.

The emergence of a credible opposition is a very bold statement. And aggrieved PDP members are not oblivious of this heartwarming reality. That is perhaps, why Tukur had to take resort to promising them heaven and earth in a bid to sway them.

But the promise is neither here nor there since out of office, the PDP will have nothing to dispense. Aggrieved members may be saying: to hell with your patronage; it is time to pay the party in its own coins.

After all, you can deceive some of the people some of the time but not all the people all the time. I think, the PDP has got this message.

Understanding Bayelsa’s anti-rumour law

By Tarinyo Akono law abiding as responsible stakeholders in the current mission of restoring Bayelsa State to its deserved glory in leadership and development.

Yet, it has to be understood that we are in a democracy where the rule of law is critical. So the Bayelsa State government does not intend to make the proposed law a draconian one but a law to correct social misbehavior and enhance peace and stability in line with the freedom of Information Act and the consolidation of the law. Enforcing the proposed law will therefore have much to do with recreating our values via education as the people will have a better understanding and appreciation of the power of information and why rumour-mongering is not in the best interest of anyone, least the government. For instance, people will find it unprofitable to wake up one day and begin spreading the rumour that the state government had been sacked by a court in Port Harcourt and in the process causing panic among the people in their numbers lamenting the future of the restoration programme of the Dickson administration. This kind of insensitive jungle behavior has serious implication for the mood and temperament of the people, with consequences if not well managed.

We further draw Dare’s attention to the composition of the State Public Information Management Committee which is largely of eminent journalists chosen for their integrity and credibility not only in their individual and professional lives but also to give credence to the good intentions of the state government. By this gesture, then rail-roading the law for ulterior motive is ruled out. Of course, its implementation will also be guided by such patriotic mind to have enlightened citizenry that are not encumbered by political manipulations but rather conscious of where we are coming from and amends we must make for a prosperous future. Instead of reverting to the locust years of the recent past, we have to move forward.

These are the issues we must understand to clear our minds of any distortions. Peculiar circumstances in any political or social formation will invariably demand some clear-headed answers but to the extent that such ameliorating mechanisms conform with the basic ethics of leadership and constitutionalism. We believe we are on track for a saner society that is focused and determined to make a difference.

We draw further corollary to the Freedom of Information

Act (FoIA) which we have all appreciated as a necessary component in our democracy. Nigerians are already clamouring for greater application of this law among journalists by doing more of investigative reporting and we sincerely believe this is the way forward. But as much as the journalists will have to do their investigations, this has to be within the confines of the law by strictly doing stories based on facts as a canon of the noble journalism profession. Thus anyone who writes falsehood under the guise of FoIA is subject to punishment by the same law because truth had been sacrificed. In similar vein, we can see a variant of this law as applicable to the proposed law in Bayelsa State that will alert an individual or organization to the need to say what is true otherwise you are a problem to the state with serious concern and possible sanction.

The last two points in the column we need to address are Dare’s query on the contents of the rumour or propaganda and his doubts about the efficacy of the proposed law. We can boldly say that not only are the contents of such rumour spurious and ill-informed, they constitute nuisance to the sanity of the society. They are inimical to peace and progress and must be checked forthwith. Importantly, the innuendos contained in the concluding paragraphs have no relationship or semblance in Bayelsa State where accountability is taken seriously and institutions of government strengthened to perform their duties for the greater good of the people of the state. Yet if Dare is contemptuous of the proposed law or its workability, he should at least acknowledge the pace of development in Bayelsa State in the last one year even as we are poised to do much more and indeed make the proposed law work to the dismay of doubting Thomases. We can always make a difference.

• Akono, Chairman Bayelsa State NUJ sent this piece from Yenagoa.

‘But as much as the journalists will have to do their investigations, this has to be within the confines of the law by strictly doing stories based on facts as a canon of the noble journalism profession’

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THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

We want a SONCAP programme that would serve its purpose; a programme that would be dynamic, where all the identified loopholes would be effectively plugged thereby making it difficult for the plaque of substandard products to continue to dominate the Nigerian business space.

-Dr Joseph Odumodu, DG, SON

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THE CEO

Getting graduates to be self-employed- P. 37

‘Use of foreign loss adjusters will kill economy’ - P. 32

News Briefing

Fed Govt withholds distribution firms’ allocations

IMF sees Nigeria’s economy picking up

By Emeka Ugwuanyi

ECONOMIC growth in Nigeria is likely to rise above seven per cent in the year with inflation slowing below double digits, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said.

- Page 26

Struggle cuts across sectors THE last three months for Labour has been busy. Unions as usual have been fighting for workers rights.

These agitations were centred on alleged refusal of some state governments to implement the N18,000 minimum wage.

- Page 29

‘40% of Nigerians lack insurance knowledge’ THE Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Riskguard Africa, Nigeria Limited, a pension and insurance consulting firm, Mr Yemi Soladoye, has said 40 per cent of Nigerians lack knowledge about what insurance is about.

- Page 35 DATA STREAM COMMODITY PRICES Oil -$107/barrel Cocoa -$2,686.35/metric ton Coffee - ¢132.70/pound Cotton - ¢95.17pound Gold -$1,800/troy ounce Rubber -¢159.21pound MARKET CAPITALISATIONS NSE JSE NYSE LSE

-N7.560 trillion -Z5.112trillion -$10.84 trillion -£61.67 trillion

RATES Inflation 11.9% Treasury Bills 7.08% Maximum lending-22.42% Prime lending - 15.87% Savings rate 2% 91-day NTB 15% Time Deposit 5.49% MPR 12% Foreign Reserve $35.8b FOREX CFA 0.2958 EUR 206.9 £ 242.1 $ 156 ¥ 1.9179 SDR 238 RIYAL 40.472

• Prof. Nebo

T

HE Federal Government is withholding statutory allocations meant for electricity distribution companies (Discos), which have been identified as one of the major causes of drop in power supply, it was learnt.

A top official of one of the electricity distribution companies told The Nation that currently the distribution companies find it difficult to access funds to clear faults and discharge other relevant duties including replacement of dysfunctional equipment and materials, which seriously hinders their efficiency.

The official who spoke in confidence to our correspondent, while explaining reasons for the recurrent lingering power outages, said the drop in electricity supply in Lagos and other parts of the country has been as a result of dearth of funds adding that he doesn’t know why the government has refused to release funds to them (Discos).

She said: “It is difficult period for us now. As I speak to you, we don’t have money to clear faults to enable our customers have light let alone buy equipment and other materials to replace dysfunctional facilities.

“Government has refused to release our allocation to us, which is negatively affecting our operations. We are inundated with complaints by customers on daily basis because of outages and irregular supply of power but our engineers are doing their best to ensure that customers get the most

NEXIM Bank’s credit to buyers of indigenous goods coming

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HE Nigerian ExportImport Bank (NEXIM) will provide loans to buyers of indigenous products to boost exports and deepen transactions in 2015, its Managing Director, Mr Roberts Orya, has said.

He told The Nation that the initiative was aimed at making local products more competitive in the international market and enabling them to have an edge over others.

He said to enhance the bank’s share capital, the bank was discussing with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Ministry of Finance.

Buyers’ Credit is a financial arrangement in which the bank or financial institution would extend credit to any country that is willing to buy made-in-Nigeria products. It is also known as financial credit.

Orya said this is how it is done in some developed countries,adding that NEXIM Bank has studied other countries and is ready to introduce same to Nigeria.

He said the economy has reached a level where it can also give the potential buyers of its products fund to buy goods, at least within the sub-region, adding that this will boost exports.

On the Economic Community of West African

By Toba Agboola

States (ECOWAS) Trade Support Facility (ETSF), Orya said it was created by NEXIM for indigenous exporters to look for exports in the subregion and that they were working with ECOWAS Bank on the project.

Orya assured that the bank would provide more services when its capital base is increased, and that this is how EXIM banks in countries, such as India and Malaysia have helped their economy.

He, however, raised concerns that lack of credit insurance has made it difficult for the bank to take exporters to the sub-region and take advantage of the huge potential there.

He said any bank wishing to participate in co-financing a project with NEXIM must be in good health, adding that it must provide three years audited accounts and meet additional criteria by NEXIM. He said: “A borrower must be a credit worthy limited liability company, co-operative society, existing/new production units with a minimum of 50 per cent export orientation or an existing provider of export services. The borrower must establish that the loan will develop or expand his export business.”

from what is available.”

The Discos, she said, depend on rationing and load-shedding to make sure that every customer gets a little of the supply based on what is available.

The official said the withholding of Discos’ funds by the government, especially at this crucial point of the power sector reform is condemnable as it would look as if the managements of the Discos deliberately don’t want to give customers light because of the privatisation. She noted that the PHCN staff also are Nigerians and are affected by poor power supply.

The Special Assistant to the Minister of Power on Media and Communication, Kande Daniel, said

the government is not withholding the allocations of the discos and gencos. The fact, she explained, is that the chief executive officers of these discos and gencos had a frank meeting with the Minister of Power, Prof.

Chinedu Nebo and heads of parastatals and the leadership of the ministry of power, where they (CEOs) revealed that their imprest funding had remained static since the unbundling of Power Holding Company (PHCN).

The unbundling transferred many responsibilities to them (discos and gencos) while the funding remained unchanged, which has continued to impact negatively on their op-

erations.

In the past few weeks power supply has been so irregular that people are resorting to 100 per cent dependence on generators while the government is gradually rounding off privatisation of power assets.

Fifteen assets comprising 10 distribution companies and five generation companies have been sold and their owners have paid 25 per cent value of the assets while the process of selling one disco and one genco is ongoing.

On completion of payment of the outstanding 75 per cent value of the assets and full settlement of liabilities, such as payment of PHCN workers’ severance pay by the government, the assets will be handed over to the winners of the distribution and generation companies.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

26

BUSINESS NEWS Flight Schedule

ICRC to partner MDAs on infrastructure

MONDAY - FRIDAY LAGOS – ABUJA Departure Arrival 1. Aero 06.50 08.10 2. Associated 07.00 09.30 3. Air Nigeria 07.00 08.20 4. IRS 07.00 08.20 7. Arik 07.15 08.15 7. Chanchangi 07.15 9. Air Nigeria 08.15 09.35 10. Aero 08.45 10.05 11. Arik 09.15 10.15 12. Chanchangi 10.00 11.00 13. IRS 11.15 12.35 14. Aero 12.20 13.30 15. Air Nigeria 13.25 14.45 16. Chanchangi 13.30 14.30 17. Arik 13.45 14.45 18. IRS 14.00 15.20 19. Aero 14.10 15.30 20. Air Nigeria 14.50 16.10 21. Chanchangi 15.30 16.30 22. Arik 15.50 16.50 23. Aero 16.00 17.20 24. IRS 16.30 17.50 25. Arik 16.50 17.50 26. Chanchangi 17.30 18.30 27. Air Nigeria 17.35 18.55 29. Air Nigeria (T/TH) 18.30 19.50 20. Arik 18.45 19.45 31. Aero 19.20 20.40

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LAGOS – BENIN Arik 07.30 Associated 08.30 Aero 10.50 Arik 11.45 Associated 13.00 Aero 14.25 Arik 15.30 Associated 16.00

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LAGOS – CALABAR 07.30 11.20 12.50 16.00 LAGOS – JOS 10.55 11.15

LAGOS – KADUNA Aero 08.00 Chanchangi 10.00 Arik 10.00 Arik 15.10

08.30 09.10 11.50 12.45 13.40 15.20 16.30 16.40 08.50 12.40 14.10 17.20 12.15 12.45 09.10 11.00 11.10 16.20

LAGOS – PORT HARCOURT (CIVIL) 1. Aero 07.15 08.35 2. Arik 07.15 08.35 3. Arik 09.00 10.20 4. Aero 10.50 12.30 5. Arik 11.40 13.00 6. Air Nigeria 12.00 13.10 7. IRS 13.30 15.00 8. Arik 14.00 15.20 9. Air Nigeria 16.00 17.10 10 Arik 16.10 17.30 11. Aero 16.15 17.30 12. Arik 17.10 18.30 1.

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LAGOS – OWERRI Aero 07.30 Arik 07.30 Air Nigeria 13.40 Arik 14.00 Arik 16.30

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LAGOS – WARRI 08.15 11.50 11.55 14.55

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LAGOS – KANO Air Nigeria 07.10 IRS 08.00 Arik 12.20 IRS 14.00 IRS 18.15

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LAGOS – OWERRI 07.20 14.00 16.30

08.30 15.10 17.40

1. Arik 2. Arik 3. Arik

LAGOS – MAIDUGURI 1. IRS 11.15 13.15 2. Arik 15.50 18.00 LAGOS – ILORIN 1. Overland 07.15 2. Arik (M/T/TH/F) 17.30

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LAGOS – ABUJA SAT/SUN Arik 7.15; 10.20; 2.20; 5.20pm – 7.30; 9.15; 10.20; 2.20; 4.50; 6.45 Aero 07.30; 09.35; 13.10; 14.50; 20.20 – 07.30; 09.35; 13.10; 14.50; 20.20 Air Nigeria 08.15; 14.30; 17.15; 18.30 – 08.15; 13.30; 14.30; 17.15; 18.30

From Nduka Chiejina, (Asst. Editor)

T

• From left: Executive Director, Operations and Technology, Keystone Bank, Mr Ademola Adewale; Executive Director, Lagos and West, Mrs. Yvonne Isichei; Client Sales Executive, IBM West Africa, Mrs. Gladys Agwai; and Country General Manager, Mr Taiwo Otiti, during the bank’s/IBM joint press conference hosted at its Head Office in Victoria Island, Lagos.

IMF sees Nigeria’s economy picking up E

CONOMIC growth in Ni geria is likely to rise above seven per cent in the year with inflation slowing below double digits, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said.

In its 2012 review of Africa’s second largest economy, the IMF projected that the pace of growth would pick up to 7.2 per cent this year from 6.3 per cent in 2012.

T

It said Nigeria’s tightening of monetary policy was in line with the authorities’ efforts to contain inflation below 10 per cent. The IMF also estimated that Nigeria’s currency, the naira, was “broadly in line with fundamen-

tals”.

Nigeria’s central bank held rates at 12 per cent last week for the ninth consecutive time, citing concerns about ongoing external price pressures. Nigerian consumer inflation rose to 9.5 per cent in February from 9 percent in January, staying within the central bank’s single digit target.

Food prices rose to 11 per cent.

Nigeria lost over N2b fishing revenue last year

HE Nigerian Trawlers Own ers Association (NITOA) lost over N2billion last year in fishing revenue.

Lack of monitoring and surveillance equipment, the group said, has led to losses of over $60 million yearly through illegal fishing on Nigeria’s waters.

The President of the association, Mr Joseph Overo, said the fishing sector is in a bad shape and urged the government to give it a bailout.

The Chairman of Sea and Cargo Logistics Limited, Mr Raphael Christopher, alleged that many foreign ships pollute the nation’s marine environment with wastes and other pollutants, which affect fish stocks.

The coasts, he said, were overfished, catches declining, with environmental degradation affecting productivity and technical innovations lacking.

A member of Fishery Association of Nigeria (FISON) Mr Foluso Gbadamosi said fisheries account for about 12 per cent of the government’s revenue in the Republic of Korea and that demand has continued to rise because the govern-

By Oluwakemi Dauda

ment is responsive.

“The major species caught in coastal and inshore fisheries are hair-tail, mackerel, anchovy, squid, horse mackerel and blue crab. Distant water fisheries focus on saury, tuna, Alaska pollack, croaker and squid,” he said.

Fishery resources in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Gbadamosi said, have been protected for 50 years through regulations governing mesh size, fishing grounds and fishing seasons.

The Korea government, he said, introduced stricter controls at the end of the 1990s, including the monitoring and control of foreign fishing vessels, stricter licensing and permits, a buy-back programme to reduce vessel numbers and boost the fishing industry.

The introduction of Total Allowable Catches (TACs) for seven species by the Korean government and strict enforcement of rules and regulations to control illegal fishing activities in that country, “has

led to the rapid development of their fishing industry,” he said.

Nigeria, he said, is not exploiting its maritime resource due to technical constraints. For instance, Gbadamosi said no tuna vessels are based in the country.

The Deputy Director, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) HajiaLamiTumaka said there were concerted efforts by the agency to police the waters in line with the nation’s extant laws as well as the International Maritime Organisation’s conventions, treaties and protocols that have been ratified and domesticated.

She said any vessel that engaged in illegalities, which comprise illegal fishing, midstream discharge from mother vessels, bunkering, and dumping of harmful substances and ballast water into the maritime domain would be arrested and prosecuted.

The management of the agency, she said, had in the last two years, showed a commitment towards securing the nation’s waters.

‘How climate change threatens food security’

P

OLICIES on food security do not focus enough on ensur ing how poor people can access and afford food, especially in urban areas, said a report published by the International Institute for Environment and Development.

It warned that climate change would only make the policy gap worse, because its impacts will affect not only harvests, but also the systems that people use to transport, store, buy and sell food.

“Food security is back on the agenda, thanks to rising prices and the threat that climate change poses to agricultural production,” said the report’s author, Dr Cecilia Tacoli.

He said the policies that focus on rural food production alone will not tackle the rising food insecu-

By Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie Asst. Editor

rity in urban areas, but must include policies that improve poor people’s ability to access and afford food, especially in urban areas.”

The report noted that since most people in urban areas must buy their food from the rural farmers for them to survive any climateinduced disruption to food production, transport and storage – either in the urban area itself or in distant farmland – can affect food supplies and prices in urban areas.

The recent flooding in the country affected many rural poor and their farmlands, though some state governments have provided some monetary assistance to some of the affected people, yet nothing has been done for the urban poor, who

by extension may be more affected in terms of not having enough fund to buy food stuffs which prices are on the rise.

The study regretted that most government policises that aim to increase food security focus solely on boosting production from farms and fisheries in rural areas without incorpoarting thelogistics of preservation and transportation.

“The journey that food takes from a rural producer to an urban consumer involves many steps,” Tacoli, said, adding that the food must travel through formal and informal systems, as it is stored, distributed and sold. Each one of these steps is a point of potential vulnerability to climate change. For consumers, this will mean sharp and sudden increases in food prices,” he said.

HE Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) will work with the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to assist them develop the needed infrastructure, the Acting Director-General, Dr. Ghali I. Bello, has said.

He said the government through a circular from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Head of Service of the Federation, has directed MDAs to create Public-Private Parnerships (PPP) units, adding that the initiative would help in solving the enormous infrastructure problems in the country.

“We are going to work closely with the MDAs develop projects and raise the profile of the organisation and bring the MDAs to appreciate that we are partners. We want to create a scenario whereby at the end of the day the infrastructure deficits will be addressed in the interest of the country,” he said.

Looming crisis threatens Akwa Ibom transport

S

OME leaders of transport un ions in Akwa Ibom State have called on the government to tackle the heightened lawlessness threatening the industry.

The leaders, including the pioneer Secretary, Akwa Ibom State Road Levy Implementation Scheme, EtimOnobo; Victor Akpe of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, MikeI Kotakpoudo of the National Association of Road Transport Owners and AtingAnwana of the Haulage Drivers Association, said the gap could have a significant impact on the growth of the sector.

The leaders said the peace in the state is being threatened by the precarious and violent nature of motor park politics, stressing that only tact and compromise could douse the tension building up.

They said the introduction of Road Levy Scheme six years ago was welcomed by stakeholders in the sector because the implementation was done in such a way that everybody was carried along.

According to them, the appointment of resource persons to manage the scheme was done in a way that reflected state quota and ethnic balance.

The leaders, however, observed that the peace in the sector has been threatened with the appointment of Mr John Okure, an indigene of Uyo Senatorial District to oversee the management of the scheme in Eket, by the Commissioner of Transport, Mr Dan Abia.

Since then, the leaders alleged that tempers rose among the stakeholders leading to fisticuffs, skirmishes and media war from both sides of the divide.

The stakeholders are asking the Commissioner to withdraw the appointment of Mr. John Okure on the grounds that the said Mr. Okure is an indigene of Uyo Senatorial district and should not be imposed on Eket people.

Secondly, the said stakeholders allege that the said Mr. Okure is not a member of any of the stakeholder groups in the transport industry viz: National Union of Road Transport Workers, National Association of Road Transport owners, Tanker Drivers Association, Driver welfare Association and Road Transport Employers Association among others.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

27

ISSUES The cost of doing business in Nigeria is said to be among the highest worldwide. With the on-going privatisation of public firms, the power and banking reforms, among others, expectations are that things will change for the better.

EMEKA UGWUANYI, TOBA AGBOOLA and SULAIMAN SALAWUDEEN, examine the development.

•Generation facility

Cutting cost of doing business T

HE primary objective of setting up a business enterprise is to provide quality goods and services at very competitive prices and earn reasonable profit, but unstable power supply has largely made this goal unachievable in Nigeria. Power is central to industrialisation and overall development of any country.

The first step to becoming a developed economy, according to the Nigerian Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (NIEEE), is by getting the power sector right.

However, in well over a decade, the Federal Government has been striving to fix the power sector because of its aspiration to become the commercial hub in sub-Sahara Africa, and also its desire to be among the 20 leading economies in the world in 2020. Notwithstanding, its objective options it adopted for tackling the power problem seem not to have achieved results. The government has promised to deliver on the sector’s privatisation considering that most of the factors hampering business development have to do with power.

Reports have it that Nigeria ranks among the costliest countries in the world to do business, and that the exit of Dunlop and Michelin, two tyre producing firms, from Nigeria, as well as the collapse of the textile industry, which some years ago was booming, appeared to buttress the report .

Apart from inconsistent government policies, insecurity, difficulty in accessing funds and poor infrastructure, are identified as being intrinsically connected to jacking up the cost of doing business locally.

For instance, it is argued that if there was stable power supply, everywhere would be well-illuminated, which would deter criminals

from carrying out their acts, as technologies, such as close-circuit television (CCTV) can be applied at all times to monitor and track criminals. Besides, there would be jobs as people will be engaged in various vocations that steady power supply would engender.

Aside from power, Nigeria's banks are also culpable in hiking the cost of doing business on account of the high interest rates attached to credit for borrowers. Besides, there are several associated charges that banks railroad into the cost quotient that have ballooned the cost of loans, and by extension, adding to the cost of doing business in Nigeria. But they also have

their reasons. They hold the absence of power as one reason they are helpless in controlling their operational cost.

Many firms provide them power to preserve their production process. It is in view of this development that some rich companies, such as Dangote Plc and the multinational oil companies build mini and big power plants depending on the size of the operation or the facility. However, the fact remains that the end-user of a product or service suffers at last by bearing the entire cost.

Power supply

Power generation level has substantially increased in the past two

‘Aside from power, Nigeria's banks are also culpable in hiking the cost of doing business on account of the high interest rates attached to credit for borrowers. Besides, there are several associated charges that banks railroad into the cost quotient that have ballooned the cost of loans, and by extension, adding to the cost of doing business in Nigeria’

years from about 3000MW at the beginning of 2011 to 4,517MW as at the end of last year.

To sustain the tempo, Vice President Namadi Sambo, had directed the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) to ensure that all contractors handling projects in the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP), complete them by the end of the year, which would eventually add at least 4100 megawatts to the grid.

A member of the Presidential Task Force on Power (PTFP), Simeon Atakulu, gave an update on the status of generation. In his report, he said a cumulative generation capacity of about 10,362MW is expected at the end of this year.

He said a combine 846MW is expected from IPPs and another 1,130MW from Agip's Okpai plant in Delta State and Shell's Afam VI in Rivers State, while the NIPP will be generating 4147MW and PHCN's hydro and thermal plants would be generating 4239MW. He noted, however, that although there would be 10,362MW, only about 7,175MW would be be delivered, citing some constraints.

•Continued on page 28

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

28

ISSUES

Cutting cost of doing business •Continued from page 27

Apart from Shell and Agip's power plants and two other IPPs, which were built where they have access to adequate gas supply, operators of the NIPP, PHCN and other assets, lament the dearth of gas supply. Besides, if something strategic is not done to strengthen the transmission network; there is fear that it wouldn't be able to wheel more than 5,000MW. Therefore, the government should focus on the construction of gas infrastructure to supply gas to thermal stations, as well as strengthen the transmission network.

Cost of epileptic power supply

During the Lagos State Economic Summit known as Ehingbeti 2012, a partner at KPMG, Kunle Elebute, warned that if the poor power supply situation should linger till 2020, Nigeria stands to lose about $130 billion. He urged the Federal Government to tackle the issue of lack of electricity infrastructure, such as gas pipelines, transmission lines and transformers. He said the government should provide a conducive investment environment and incentives, among others, to attract the private sector into the power sector. He said poor supply poses serious challenge to industrial and overall economic development of the country despite the huge potential in the country to actualise its energy needs.

He said Nigeria has the potential to become an energy-sufficient country if only it could adequately utilise the abundant resources in the country. The former Secretary for Energy and two-term Governor of New Mexico, United States, Bill Richardson, also corroborated him, adding that Nigeria has abundant alternative clean energy.

He said the success of the telecoms sector is a clear indication that the same feat can be repeated in the power sector, if the right regulatory and operating framework are put in place, adding that building a 21st century electricity facility is possible and urged the government to fast-track the privatisation process in a transparent and accountable manner.

"Nigeria can choose a clean path in providing electricity. You have abundant gas resources; have the opportunity to provide renewable energy. You also have hydro resources; you have wind energy and other renewable energy sources," he added.

Manufacturing sector

The Chairman, Infrastructure Committee of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Reginald Odiah, an engineer, said power, which is usually five per cent to 10 per cent of production cost in most countries, constitutes between 30 per cent and 40 per cent of cost of production in Nigeria. He said a recent survey conducted by the association reveals that on the average, PHCN supplies only 31 per cent of total energy required by manufacturers, while 69 per cent is generated in-house through self electricity generation.

He said an audit survey recently conducted

by MAN on 1,500 manufacturing companies nationwide, revealed that members of the association spend about N954 million for the maintenance of their plants, while an average of 8,679,638 litres of diesel is consumed weekly in running these plants.

He noted that the much-needed capital for maintaining and increasing production at factories and production lines are locked up in purchasing generators. He said the manufacturing sector of the economy requires about 4,000MW of electricity to keep the factories running at installed capacity.

A report from MAN also showed that some companies in Ikeja spend N5 million on diesel weekly and at least N20 million monthly.

The Director-General, Nigerian Textiles Manufacturers Association, Jayeola Olarewaju, said money is just a small percentage of the problems of local textiles manufacturing, adding that power is a major challenge. He said between 30 and 35 per cent of their cost of production go to power generation.

President, Cement Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (CMAN), Joseph Makoju, said energy cost accounts for over 35 per cent of production in Nigeria, whereas it is 10 per cent in China.

• Minister of Power Prof Chinedu Nebo

Hospitality and SMEs’ sectors Investigation in Ekiti State showed that the hospitality industry and the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are worst hit by poor electricity supply situation. Midas Hotel, a newly-built four-star hotel in Ado-Ekiti just opened for business on February 9, 2013, but the management said that it has discovered that to remain in business means more than putting in place first class structures and facilities.

According to the Director of the hotel, Mr Ayeni, the greatest challenge has been running on diesel-powered electricity generating sets all day. He said the hotel requires a minimum of N60,000 to sustain all-round electricity generation for a day. Of course, it means that we would be spending a minimum of N1,800,000 monthly.

"I am not saying the PHCN does not give us light at all. But we know what it means when such a standard hotel like Midas with high patronage gets supply for a maximum of 30 minutes on a good day. For now, we supply our own electricity. Experiences across other hotels aren't much different.

Investigation by The Nation also showed that artisans such as barbers, hairdressers, technicians, welders and others are equally suffering poor power supply. According to Dolapo, an electrician, the effect has devastated our business and has sent many temporarily out of business. "I lose customers and money every day in past few months. It is either you are ready to burn fuel for a whole day or you are out of business. But I cannot afford the cost of powering the generator a whole day.

Unfortunately, I cannot increase the cost of my service because I use generator lest the few customers that still patronise me may leave," he said.

The spokesman of PHCN in Ekiti State, Mr Kayode Brown, assured there would be improved supply in the that very soon noting that the poor state of power has been as a result of fault from main source outside the state, which is being handled by the concerned section of PHCN. Brown noted that the development has affected not only Ekiti but even parts of Ondo and Osun states, adding that the problem had to do with transmission from Osogbo.

Lack of industrialisation

The former Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji, had explained how poor power supply compelled him to develop interest in championing efforts at addressing electricity problems in Nigeria. He said: "It was the fledging auto industry in Nnewi, Anambra State, which inspired me in the late 1990s to take steps to establish in Nigeria a state-ofthe -art company to manufacture auto parts, including engines.

• MAN President, Mr Kola Jamodu

• Director-General, Mohammed Nadada

“I was then the ALCOA Foundation Professor of Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, on a leave of absence from the University of Massachusetts as distinguished Professor of Industrial and Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Automation and Robotics Laboratory.

"I was keenly interested in how the Nigerian domestic auto industry could be assisted to produce world class parts, which would be exported to even developed countries. The dream was suspended on account of the worsening electricity crisis in Nigeria. So, I naturally turned attention to how to address the perennial power problem."

Like Nnaji, noble dreams of many Nigerians, which could have taken the country to the next level, were aborted because of power supply. Some companies built in the cities were originally planned to be constructed in the rural areas but for lack of power, they crowded in the cities jostling for the limited supply from public power supply.

as the Central Business District.

Government's efforts

A Chinese firm, Sepco111 and a Nigerian company, Pacific Energy Limited, had last year said they were preparing to construct 1,200 megawatts (MW) coal power plant worth $4 billion in Benue State, but nothing has happened since then.

Prof. Nnaji had said that the government planned to diversify the sources of electricity generation through the building of three coal power plants in Enugu, Benue and Kogi States.

The Federal Government also signed some memoranda of understandings (MoUs) with a few world class energy companies. For instance, the General Electric (GE), which agreed to provide $10 billion for the construction some power plants as well as with South Korea and others, but these MoUs are not yet translating into tangible results.

The Federal Government also support IPPs by buying off their generated power, for instance, 135MW from Dangote Group, which has excess generation from the two power plants built for the Obajana and Ibeshe cement factories in Kogi and Ogun states. The two power plants have combined total generation of 257MW, but the two cement factories can only consume 122MW leaving an unused 135MW. The government also said it would stop direct building power generation plants by end of next year as the subsequent power plants would be built by the private sector. The Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, said the government is reviewing the power sector roadmap to reflect realities.

The Lagos State Government in the past few years has begun to focus on construction captive power plants to supply steady electricity to some designated facilities and areas such

‘Like Nnaji, noble dreams of many Nigerians, which could have taken the country to the next level, were aborted because of power supply.

Some companies built in the cities were originally planned to be constructed in the rural areas but for lack of power, they crowded in the cities jostling for the limited supply from public power supply’

SMEDAN,

Alhaji

Way forward

The President of the German Federal Environment Agency, Jochen Flasbarth, during his visit to Abuja was reportedly said to have advised Nigeria not to depend on the 4000MW generation or its economy would flop. He advised the government not only to embrace renewable energy as an alternative source of power supply. He said it would be impossible to provide the country with electricity through a centralised electricity supply structure, and called for the decentralisation. He said the grid system of power supply is costly and expensive to maintain, especially when it is used to cover the country. He said the grid system should be used when the source of electricity supply is near while off-grid system should be where the source of generation is very far from the grid.

With the commencement of finalisation of negotiations of transaction documents between the government and the preferred bidders for PHCN successor generation companies (Gencos) and successor distribution companies (Discos) in January this year, it seems the solution to the power problem is in sight as private sector entrepreneurs take over management and control of the 11 and six Discos and Gencos.

The Director-General of Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) Benjamin Dikki said following the receipt of bank guarantees for 15 per cent of the transaction value within the November, last year deadline, that the BPE can confirm that its bankers have verified all the bank guarantees provided by the preferred bidders. Thus, the preferred bidders are qualified to enter this stage of the privatisation process which is the finalisation of negotiation between the Federal Government and the bidders.

He noted that 15 business days after signing of the Sale and Purchase Agreement or the Shareholders' Agreement, whichever is earlier, or at a mutually agreed earlier date, the bidders should make a down payment of 25 percent of the share sales purchase price. It is after finalisation of negotiations that transaction documents would be executed. As Nigerians wait for this historic period, sincerity of purpose must be ensured even posthandover of these power assets. As it is believed that privatisation is the only tonic for getting the power sector right, politics and partisan patronage must be sacrificed for competence, probity and accountability.

He noted that the reform processes being taken by the government doesn't mean the power sector issues are over but it marks the beginning of a strategic transition to a common national aspiration.

"This does not mean that the electricity industry in Nigeria is out of the woods. It is still facing some challenges in all segments of the value chain. These challenges include low generation capacity, inadequate transmission and distribution infrastructure, poor operational performance, poor revenue collection, inadequate metering, poor billing and electricity theft.

“Others are poor maintenance culture, inappropriate industry and market structure, unclear delineation of roles and responsibilities. These are the issues that give rise to the reform initiatives that led us to the process we are undertaking," he said.

29

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

LABOUR FIRST QUARTER REVIEW

Struggle cuts across sectors T

HE last three months for Labour has been busy. Unions, as usual, have been fighting for workers’ rights. These agitations were centred on alleged refusal of some state governments to implement the N18,000 minimum wage.

The spate of embezzlement of pension funds also attracted the attention of the two labour bodies - the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congres (TUC). The trial and eventual conviction of John Yakubu Yusuf in the courts was welcomed, but the light sentence and the option of a paltry N750,000 fine, drew the ire of labour and other Nigerians.

Next came the solidarity message of the NLC and TUC that should the government fail to bring the culprits to book through the judiciary, they would hold mass protests.

Labour, as usual, won some and lost in other areas. On the deregulation of the downstream petroleum industry, NLC applauded the judgment of the Federal High Court (FHC) that the government should not remove subsidy, but rather fix a price for petroleum products.

The congress said the judgment was “obviously a victory for democracy and the independence of the judiciary.” It commended Bamidele Aturu for his stance in prosecuting the case. NLC, however, added that the issues of deregulation go beyond the fixing of the pump prices of petroleum products.

“The adverse effects of an unconscionable high cost of petroleum products on the citizenry borne out of bad management of the petroleum sector is the crux of the matter,” the NLC said in a statement.

Calling on the government to forget the plan to further mark-up the prices of petroleum products, NLC said the judgment underscores its insistence that the Chapter Two of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) be made justiceable to promote good governance and protect the welfare and well-being of Nigerians.

The oil sector workers also observed that the challenges facing the country on the availability of petroleum products are unprecedented and have continued to constitute a source of hardship to the citizenry. They called for a speedy solution through passage of Petroleum Industry Bill.

“Our four refineries produce at some

Stories by Dupe Olaoye-Osinkolu

20 per cent of their capacity and the country is forced to import about 80 per cent of needed refined products thereby expending scarce foreign currency and perpetrating fraud in the name of subsidy.

“We frown at the little or no provision made under the PIB for this critical sector of the industry. NUPENG and PENGASSAN believe that the PIB must address the vexed issue of petroleum products importation and other areas of concern in the downstream. We expect the PIB to lay the legal foundation for a sustained growth in the development of our local refining capacity, end the regime of importation of refined petroleum products and, ultimately, usher in Nigeria as an exporter of refined petroleum products.

They, therefore, proposed that the PIB makes provisions for the existing refineries. That the country adopts a modified model tailored towards the Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) Model with the National Oil Company (NOC) holding a substantial minority of about 40 per cent core investors/local participation having a working majority; and staff and staff unions - PENGASSAN and NUPENG holding minority shares. That refineries should be stand-alone entities independent of the proposed NOC (NOCs will hold the government shares). The management of each refining company should be autonomous and responsible for its success and failure.

Also that effective incentives should be granted to allow for the development of private refineries alongside the existing refineries. A framework should also be articulated that will make available required crude oil for effective functioning of local refineries.

The banks were not left out of the labour struggles in the first quarter.

The lingering crisis between the defunct Afribank workers and the management of the Mainstreet Bank was resolved.

The National Union of Banks Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE) though appreciated the Federal Government for ensuring an agreement that the workers would be paid their full benefits, but still wants government to monitor the implementation of the agreement.

•From left: NUBIFIE President, Musa Danjuma (second right); General Secretary Muhammed Sheik (right), Scott Williams (left) and a member of the union at a meeting.

The agreement states that the Mainstreet Bank will pay 100 per cent severance package to the severed workers of Afribank who were laid off by the management of the Mainstreet Bank. Management of the bank said it decided to put a human face to the whole bridge mechanism, which had seen National Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) taken over the delinquent Afribank Nigeria following the revocation of its banking licence by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Mainstreet Bank commended the contributions of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity and Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), noting that the agreement was reached after months of negotiation brokered by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity between the bank and the labour unions.

AMCON is the beneficial owner of Mainstreet Bank.

The union is counting down to its picketing ultimatum with the First Bank Nigeria Plc. It alleged that the bank had joined the league of slave drivers by engaging casual workers for cheap monthly salaries through outsourcing, to do the jobs of regular staff who have just been retrenched by the bank.

The union claimed to have “had several engagements and dialogue with FBN management and their InSourcing on the issue of workers union right which the management has refused to give recognition.”

NUBIFIE, therefore, gave the bank a 14-day ultimatum, which will expire tomorrow.

An official of the bank, however, denied the allegations saying they were far from the truth. And that the bank always employ regular workers and train them at its training school.

NUBIFIE said the bank was economical with the truth. “The work environment in the banks and Insurance has become a virtual slave camp, where workers were subjected to all forms of human deprivation un-regulated hours of work, unrestrained and arbitrary punitive actions of management, absence of a negotiated condition of service as well as stagnation of promotions among other denials,” it said.

The union is miffed about unrealistic deposit drive target, which in some cases render or expose workers to abuse and dehumanisation with the attendant psychological trauma. It said these anti-labour practices have become the hallmark of management relationship with the workers in trying to achieve their corporate goals.

The aviation sector was not spared of labour struggle. Aero Contractor is awaiting its picketing date with NLC and TUC. The congresses said they were surprised that “despite huge opportunities provided by the existence of vibrant, well informed, matured and responsible trade unions in the aviation sector, the management of Aero Contractors

decided to ignore all available industrial relations mechanisms by dismissing over 655 employees of the company and locked out the entire workforce since March 13, 2013.”

They said the airline had approached the National Industrial Court for an injunction that would provide the management an opportunity to take “antiworkers decisions without consultation with the unions, the National Union of Air Transport Employees and the Air Transport Senior Staff Association of Nigeria.”

They believed the basic intention of the management is to, ultimately, circumscribe workers rights to belong to the unions as well as casualise the entire workforce.

Labour applauded the steps taken so far by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), which grounded the airline, saying safety cannot be guaranteed with an airline that has “caused itself avoidable industrial crisis. All employees of airlines all over the world are key to security and safety of flights.”

It is calling on the management of the airline to recall those dismissed and reopen their offices immediately.

At the moment, there is an April 10 mass protest date notice given by both labour centres - NLC and TUC - over pension scam.

Labour deems it fit to fight on behalf of the feeble old men and women whose pension funds are being used to enrich younger and influential people.

Construction workers lament abuse of expatriate quota

C

ONSTRUCTION workers have called for the government’s intervention in the alleged abuse of the expatriate quota by employers in the country.

Rising from their Fourth Quadrennial Delegates Conference in Owerri, the Imo State capital, the workers under the aegis of the National Union of Civil Engineering, Construction, Furniture and Wood Workers (NUCECFWW) condemned the abuse by employers in the industry. They said the implementation of the quota is not in tandem with the Nigerian Content Development Act, which states that Nigerians should be considered first in any employment before foreigners or expatriates.

In the communiqué issued at the conference attended by 445 delegates, and signed by the President of the union, Oba Samuel Adeoye and General Secretary, Comrade Babatunde Liadi, they urged the Nigeria Immigration Service and the Ministry of Labour and Productivity to ensure that there is need for expatriates in any company before granting work permit to any foreigner. They added that the government should step up

efforts to check the influx of expatriates into the country.

The conference also demanded that the Understudy Clause in the Nigeria Expatriate Quota law be respected, while many of the companies should comply with the provisions of the Nigerian Content Development Act. On employment generation, the union noted that unemployment is one of the greatest problems facing the country and commended the efforts of the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment to encourage local and foreign private investors on job creation.

It, however, called for “more concession to be granted on essential imported raw materials that cannot be locally sourced by manufacturing companies to jumpstart the economy as this will enable them generate more jobs in the country.”

The conference-in-session also demands that the government needs to be more practical in her focus on the agricultural sector, to enhance employment and job creation, stimulate food security and alleviate poverty as well as reduce crimes.

Issue of unemployed youths came

to the fore, and the conference recommended that the government should evolve a social security package for them as it is being done in other countries.

Income tax system in the country

was adjudged inadequate. The conference-in-session demands that the “income tax laws be realistically reviewed with the focus on the relief system to be in correlation with the current economic realities in the

country.”

It noted the adverse effects of the recent action by some local and states government to impose taxes on member-firms, especially quarry companies.

Oil workers urge speedy passage of PIB

O

IL workers have called on the National Assembly to expedite action on the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) to attract investment into the sector and grow the national economy.

The oil workers, acting under the aegis of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) and its counterpart, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), lamented that investors are relunctant to invest in the sector because of the uncertainties surrounding the PIB which has generated bitter acrimony among members of the National Assembly.

Adopting NUPENGASSAN as acronym for the two unions, the oil workers said: ”Investors have continued to adopt a wait and see attitude, refraining from making any new investment pending the passage of the bill.”

They, therefore, called on the Na-

tional Assembly to ensure that the provisions of the PIB covers not only the agencies and companies created under the proposed law but all companies operating in the petroleum sector.

Addressing reporters in Lagos, PENGASSAN President, Comrade Babatunde Ogun, observed that the PIB proposes to exclude the successor companies to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) from the operations of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) and Public Procurement Act (PPA).

He argued that the involvement of all the companies will ensure transparency and erase the “black hole” perception of the oil and gas industry, adding that the proposed law was to check inherent corruption and misappropriation of funds in public entities.

Ogun, who spoke alongside NUPENG President, Igwe Achese and other National Administrative Coun-

cil (NAC) members of both unions added that subjecting the NNPC successor companies to the FRA and PPA will further entrench transparency and accountability in the organisations.

However, he was swift to state that the time frame for approval by FRA and PPA should be within a short period to avoid unnecessary bureaucratic bottleneck.

He said the provision of the PIB granting the president “discretionary powers” to award petroleum licenses and leases should be expunged from the bill as it is a recipe for cronyism and corruption.

“One of the major areas of grave concern about Nigeria’s petroleum industry has been the opaque nature of the industry. Many processes and activities are shrouded in mystery that controversies usually arise even amongst government agencies on matters such as the country’s daily production or revenue arising from there.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

30

EQUITIES

Investors opt for low-priced banking stocks

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 28-3-13

I

NVESTORS appeared to be taking keen interests in low-priced banking stocks as the stock market settled for another waiting period for delayed earnings reports.

Two stocks at the lowest rung of the pricing ladder in the banking subsectorWema Bank Plc and Unity Bank Plc and a mid-level stock-Skye Bank, accounted for more than one quarter of total turnover at the Nigerian stock market last week.

With earnings yields and potential dividend yields looming larger in the market pricing dynamics, lowpriced stocks with strong prospects for relatively higher yields have seen substantial inflow of portfolio funds.

The trio of Unity Bank, Wema Bank and Skye Bank were the most sought after stocks last week with the three accounting for 27.9 per cent of aggregate turnover in the market. Transactions on the three stocks totaled 450.29 million ordinary shares, almost 48 per cent of the turnover in the banking subsector.

Banking stocks altogether remained the main turnover driver at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), with about 59 per cent of total a turnover from transactions on commercial banks. Banking subsector recorded turnover of 945.036 million shares worth N6.66 billion in 11,558

By Taofik Salako &Tonia Osundolire

deals.

Investors staked N13.54 billion on 1.61billion shares through 23,021 deals during the four-day trading week.

Financial services sector, which included banks, insurance and other financial institutions, accounted for 1.35 billion shares valued at N8.14 billion in 15,076 deals.

Besides equities that dominated the market, investors swapped few deals for derivatives and sovereign bonds.

Some 234 units of NewGold Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) valued at N575.812 million were swapped in five deals, a slight increase on a total of 192 units valued at N476.541 million traded in four deals two weeks ago.

Also, 3,500 units of Federal Government’s bonds valued at N4.01 million were traded in 11 deals last week.

The market pricing trend remained on a cautious optimism as investors pondered on the disruptions caused by delay in release of audited reports of companies. With only 11 companies within the earnings report deadline of April 2, 2013, the NSE at the weekend extended deadline for submission of earnings reports for all quoted companies, citing challenges occasioned by the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

The common value-based index that tracks all the shares

on the NSE, the All Share Index (ASI), indicated average weekly gain of 0.09 per cent.

The ASI inched up to close at 33,536.25 points as against its opening index of 33,506.88 points. Aggregate market value of all equities increased by 0.11 per cent to close at N10.733 trillion compared with its value-on-board of N10.722 trillion for the week.

With 37 decliners to 34 advancers, gains by Nestle Nigeria, UAC of Nigeria and Total Nigeria boosted the overall market situation.

Nestle Nigeria led with a gain of N90 to close at N950.

Okomu Oil Palm rose by N11.50 to close at N72.50. Total Nigeria gathered N8.05 to close at N169.05. UACN added N1.95 to close at N55 while Seven-Up Bottling Company chalked up N1.50 to close at N49 per share.

Dangote Cement, market’s most capitalised stock, topped the losers’ list with a drop of N6.50 to close at N148.50. PZ Cussons Nigeria dropped by N2.79 to close at N36.71. Nigerian Enamelware lost N1.69 to close at N32.27. Cement Company of Northern Nigeria slipped by N1.65 to close at N10.44 while Northern Nigeria Flour Mills dropped by 80 kobo to close at N23.80 per share.

Also, two supplementary issues were listed on Thursday. A total of 740 million ordinary shares of Guinea Insurance Plc that resulted from special placement by the company were added to the outstanding shares on Thursday.

About 329.2 million ordinary shares were added to the shares outstanding in the name of First City Monument Bank Plc. The shares were from the acquisition of Fin Bank Plc.

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 28 -3-13

31

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

MONEY LINK Visa advocates cash-less banking for travellers

NESG forecasts 200 points rate cut in Q3

T

HE Nigerian Eco nomic Summit Group (NESG) sees the likelihood of about 200 basic points (bps) rate cut in the third quarter of the year.

In a report obtained by The Nation, the group said it had anticipated a reduction in the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) at the last Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting.

It said the possibility for rate cut would have increased the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth and inflation trended lower. Inflation had picked up to 9.5 per cent in February while GDP growth slowed by 0.85 per cent last year.

“The MPC’s decision to retain interest rate, therefore, remained hawkish, but we are encouraged by the gradual emergence of doves as three out of 12 members voted for a rate cut in January, as against two out of 10 in March. We still project interest rate cuts of up to 200 bps this year,

Stories by Collins Nweze

but this would be further into the second half of the year, as we now expect the inflation rate to first rise moderately in the coming months before settling slightly lower,” it said.

The NESG said in the short term, the high interest rates environment would remain although it continues to undermine credit to the real sector for output expansion.

“The main decisions taken at the last MPC meeting was the retention of interest rate at 12 per cent plus or minus 200bps; retention of the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) at 12 per cent; and retention of the Liquidity Ratio at 30 per cent,” it said.

The CBN had explained that the decision to keep interest rate on hold meant that other forms of monetary policy, such as Open Market Operations (OMO), will continue to be the preferred method for managing liquidity.

It said inflation still remains below the CBN’s single-digit target, however, pressures are expected to ease in upcoming months.

FBN Capital said the CBN was concerned that government spending could offset the benign inflation outlook as two of the 10 members of the MPC in attendance voted for a cut of 25 basis points in the policy rate. Caution in the face of uncertainties and fragilities prevailed.

The committee members argued that the stable exchange rate had helped to contain food price inflation last year. It also highlighted the food shortages, which had arisen as a result of the floods in the agricultural belt.

The committee reviewed the conditions and challenges that confronted the domestic economy in the first quarter of the year against the backdrop of current international economic and financial developments with a view to reassessing the mon-

V

• CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido

etary policy options in the shortto-medium term.

Above all, the Committee was satisfied with the relatively robust output growth projections for 2013 despite the slowing global economy, on the back of favorable conditions for increased agricultural production, the outcome of banking sector reforms, as well as other initiatives by government to stimulate the real economy.

Enterprise Bank supports SMEs

T

HE Managing Direc tor/Chief Executive Officer of Enterprise Bank Limited, Ahmed Kuru, has reiterated the bank’s commitment to support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the country.

In a statement, the bank’s chief described the SMEs’ sector as critical to the development of the economy.

Kuru, who spoke in Lagos while receiving the leadership of the Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME), led by Lizzy Okereke, the

association’s Deputy President, Finance and Administration, said the lender realised the importance of SMEs in growing the economy and has since thrown its support to SMEs. He said the bank also supports organisations, such as NASMEs that champion SMEs in the country.

He said the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has worked out a blue print that supports SMEs growth in the country and encouraged all Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) in Nigeria to support the sector.

even aware and are not making any effort to know how they can be involved in the scheme,” he said.

He said there is a lot of work to be done by NASME to educate their members on the availability of these products. He said Enterprise Bank has identified the need to support SMEs growth in the country.

“We want the country to see Enterprise Bank as a strong partner of the SMEs as well as associations like NASME because of your resolve to protect and project the interest of SMEs,” he said.

He, however, regretted that entrepreneurs were not taking the full advantage of the support that banks were willing to give.

The Enterprise Bank called for knowledge sharing and capacity building among those that are interested in benefiting from the support that the banks are giving to the sector.

“At Enterprise Bank and, indeed, other banks today, there are many products that have been carefully developed for the benefit of the SMEs. But we have a situation where those that the products are designed for are not

FGN BONDS Amount N

Rate %

M/Date

3-Year 5-Year 5-Year

35m 35m 35m

11.039 12.23 13.19

19-05-2014 18-05-2016 19-05-2016

Amount Amount Offered ($) Demanded ($) 350m 150m 350m 138m 350m 113m

Price Loss 2754.67 447.80

INTERBANK RATES 7.9-10% 10-11%

PRIMARY MARKET AUCTION (T-BILLS) Tenor 91-Day 182-Day 1-Year

Amount 30m 46.7m 50m

Rate % 10.96 9.62 12.34

Date 28-04-2012 “ 14-04-2012

GAINERS AS AT 27-2-13

SYMBOL

O/PRICE

C/PRICE

CHANGE

UNITYBNK TRANSCORP TOTAL JOHNHOLT LIVESTOCK CCNN AGLEVENT IKEJAHOTEL VITAFOAM EVANSMED

0.79 1.41 161.00 1.63 2.55 10.00 1.63 0.90 3.50 1.70

0.84 1.49 169.05 1.71 2.67 10.44 1.70 0.93 3.61 1.75

0.05 0.08 8.05 0.08 0.12 0.44 0.07 0.03 0.11 0.05

ROYALEX MAYBAKER AFRIPRUD JAPAULOIL IPWA FTNCOCOA NEM WAPIC NAHCO RTBRISCOE

O/PRICE 0.84 2.30 1.70 0.68 0.71 0.55 0.87 1.43 7.70 2.25

C/PRICE 0.76 2.19 1.62 0.65 0.68 0.53 0.84 1.39 7.49 2.19

NGN USD NGN GBP NGN EUR NIGERIA INTER BANK (S/N) (S/N) Bureau de Change (S/N) Parallel Market

Current Before

C u r r e n t CUV Start After %

147.6000 239.4810 212.4997

149.7100 244.0123 207.9023

150.7100 245.6422 209.2910

-2.11 -2.57 -1.51

149.7450

154.0000

154.3000

-3.04

152.0000

153.0000

155.5000

-2.30

153.0000

154.0000

156.0000

-1.96

DISCOUNT WINDOW Feb. ’11

July ’11

MPR

6.50%

6.50%

12%

Standing Lending Rate ,, Deposit Rate ,, Liquidity Ratio Cash Return Rate Inflation Rate

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 1.00% 12.10%

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 2.00% 12.10%

9.50% 5.50% 30.00% 2.00% 11.8%

July ’12

NIBOR Tenor 7 Days 30 Days 60 Days 150 Days

NSE CAP Index

27-10-11 N6.5236tr 20,607.37

Date 2-7-12 27-6-12 22-6-12

Rate (Previous) 4 Mar, 2012 9.0417 9.6667 11.2917 12.1250

Rate (Currency) 6, Mar, 2012 10.17% 11.46% 11.96% 12.54%

28-10-11 N6.617tr 20,903.16

% Change -1.44% -1.44%

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS Name

CHANGE 0.08 0.11 0.08 0.03 0.03 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.21 0.06

Exchange Rate (N) 155.2 155.8 155.7

CAPITAL MARKET INDEX Year Start Offer

LOSERS AS AT 27-2-13

SYMBOL

Amount Sold ($) 150m 138m 113m

EXHANGE RATE 6-03-12 Currency

OBB Rate Call Rate

T

HE West African Union of Tax Institutes (WAUTI) has advised the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CITN) and Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) to settle the disagreement between them amicably in the interest of the nation.

The issue bothers on which of the institutes is empowered by law to practise taxation. It has affected the mutual relationship hitherto enjoyed by both professional bodies.

Speaking during the WAUTI conference on taxation in Lagos, its President, Prince Kunle Quadri, said both institutes would not benefit by being at loggerheads with each other.

“The recent court judgment which affirmed CITN as the only professional body saddled with regulating and controlling the taxation profession in Nigeria. While commending the judiciary for this ruling, I urge the CITN Council to extend hand of fellowship to all stakeholders in the process of professionalising the system,” he said.

Quadri said the importance of an efficient tax system can be seen in developed regions of the world where taxation is the pivot of their economies. He wants governments in the West African region to introduce tax reforms that will provide the right resources to be used in developing their economies.

WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM

MANAGED FUNDS

NIDF NESF

Tax institute mediates in CITN, ICAN rift

DATA BANK

Tenor

Initial Current Quotation Price Market N8250.00 5495.33 N1000.00 N552.20

ISA, a global electronic payments company, has called for an improved use of e-payment products by busi ness travellers in and outside the country.

Speaking at the BT Africa West Africa Expo and Conference in Lagos, Country Manager for Visa West Africa, Ade Ashaye, said the firm is committed to helping the country achieve its cashless banking initiative. “Visa is committed to helping move Nigeria to a cash-less economy and share some of the benefits of secure electronic payments within the industry.” The conference, was hosted in association with Future Group’s Business Traveller Africa.

He said Nigeria is growing as a destination for both leisure and business travel and rise in spending is a credit to the efforts of those promoting Nigeria as a tourist destination.

According to VisaVue Travel data, Nigeria’s top three source markets of spend on Visa cards were the United Kingdom, United States and South Africa. Visa cardholders from these three markets account for 60.1 per cent of total spending by international Visa cardholders in Nigeria.

Offer Price

Bid Price

ARM AGGRESSIVE GROWTH 9.17 KAKAWA GUARANTEED 1.00 STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE 138.34 AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND 147.76 LOTUS CAPITAL HALAL 0.80 BGL SAPPHIRE FUND 1.14 BGL NUBIAN FUND 1.10 FBN MONEY MARKET FUND 100.00 FBN FIXED INCOME FUND 1,000.00 NIGERIA INTERNATIONAL DEB. 1,783.73 PARAMOUNT EQUITY FUND 15.58 CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST 1.39 CENTRE-POINT UNIT TRUST 1.87 STANBIC IBTC NIG EQUITY 10,855.53 • ARM AGGRESSIVE • KAKAWA GUARANTEED • STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE • AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND

9.08 1.00 137.92 147.18 0.78 1.14 1.09 100.00 1,000.00 1,779.06 14.82 1.33 1.80 10,528.92

Movement

OPEN BUY BACK

Bank P/Court

Previous 04 July, 2012

Current 07, Aug, 2012

8.5000 8.0833

8.5000 8.0833

Movement

32

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

THE CEO Globally, the insurance industry thrives on a tripod – underwriters, brokers and loss adjusters. But in Nigeria, the reverse is the case. The Managing Director of Corporate Loss Adjusters Limited, Chief Lebi Omobayowa, who is also the President of the Institute of Loss Adjusters of Nigeria (ILAN), speaks with UYOTTA ESHIET on a wide range of issues affecting the industry.

‘Use of foreign loss adjusters will kill economy’

• Omobayowa

W

HAT is Insurance Loss Adjusting all about? What is its relevance to the industry and the economy at large?

Basically, there are three major arms in the insurance industry, the underwriters, the brokers and the loss adjusters. The business is sourced by the broker and delivered to the underwriter as a business to accept the risk if it is acceptable and issue the policy, that is the insurance contract. If there is a claim, the underwriter calls on the adjuster who is a professional in the area to carry out necessary investigations, verifications and claims adjustment. He advises finally on the liability attached to the policy.

How important is loss adjusting in the industry?

Insurance is like a triangle or tripod, it stands on three legs; the underwriter is a leg, the broker is the second leg and the adjuster is the third leg. The three legs must be present for the tripod to stand. If the adjuster is not there, the insurance industry is not complete. They add value by assessing claims professionally. They stand between the insured and the insurer as an independent arbiter. They hold the scale of justice with equal pulse between the insured and the insurer; interpret the policy conditions and terms stated therein and advise if claims are admissible or not. If admissible, what is the quantum of claims to the insured? We also advise on risk improvement measures.

What is the importance of adjusters to the economy?

If a claim is not properly adjusted, excess could be paid to the claimant or the quantum could be paid to someone who is not supposed to be paid. These are funds that are supposed to be channelled to some other areas that can help the economy. The adjuster can also help the nation to reduce losses associated with perils such as fire. If things are done properly in the country and professional advice is sought and taken based on the advice of adjusters, losses and other destruction could be eliminated and the huge amount usually appropriated for replacement or repairs of such damaged assets could be channelled to other areas for national de-

velopment. If certain things that are supposed to be done are left undone, it can result to fire and fire is national waste.

What are the challenges of loss adjusting?

Despite the local content concept and laws, we are aware that some of the underwriters still allow foreign loss adjusters to come into Nigeria, do the business without the knowledge of the local loss adjusters and without taking the local loss adjusters along. This is against the law of local contempt. It is advisable that underwriters in the country should heed the law by ensuring that whenever there is a big claim that will warrant the presence of an international or oversea loss adjuster as may be demanded by the re-insurers, they should let the re-insurers know

‘The law must be allowed to apply as it is done in other countries. This is a message to the insurance underwriters in the country that some claims managers in insurance companies do not care whether the local adjusters are involved or not. By this action they are killing the economy slowly, they are not growing the economy’

that there is a law in Nigeria that says if any foreign loss adjuster is to be invited, they must work with a resident loss adjuster. The law must be allowed to apply as it is done in other countries. This is a message to the insurance underwriters in the country that some claims managers in insurance companies do not care whether the local adjusters are involved or not. By this action they are killing the economy slowly. They are not growing the economy. They are not growing technology. They are not growing professionalism and are not allowing the local adjusters to acquire international exposure and experience that the local content is seeking to establish. All other countries do it and they are making it.

Doesn’t the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) have authority over the issue?

NAICOM has authority over insurance companies but is it not only when NAICOM is aware that they can take corrective action aimed at correcting the situation? When a claim occurs and overseas adjusters come in, NAICOM will not know and the invited adjuster would have finished his assignment and run back to his country only to be paid there through capital flight because they will be paid in foreign currency. If we do the right things and Managing Directors of insurance •Continued on page 33

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

33

THE CEO

‘Use of foreign loss adjusters will kill economy’ •Continued from page 32

companies have control over their claims managers, the right thing should be done to make sure that if there is the need at all for a loss adjuster to come from abroad in compliance with the directive of their re-insurers, the underwriting companies, through the claims managers should let them know that in as much as they are not objecting to the coming of foreign loss adjusters, there is an existing law in Nigeria, which says if a foreign loss adjuster comes here, they must work with a local adjuster so that the local adjuster can get his share of the professional fees and also gain international exposure and experience so that eventually Nigeria will grow like other countries.

Is there no mechanism within the Institute of Loss Adjusting of Nigeria (ILAN) for monitoring the situation and reporting to NAICOM? If a claim occurs and a local loss adjuster is not called upon by the underwriting company, he may not know when or who has been appointed. There are certain claims that may be handled internally by insurance companies. So, it is not all claims that are known by ILAN members. If a loss occurs and the insurance company and the re-insurers agree to appoint an international loss adjuster, it is the underwriter here in Nigeria that should tell the re-insurer that according to our local laws, the invited foreign loss adjuster must work with our local loss adjuster. It is our own people here that must tell both the

re-insurer and the invited loss adjuster that there is a law which they must obey.

ILAN is trying to set up a mechanism whereby if any foreign loss adjuster comes into Nigeria to do business without respecting the law of the country, when such a person is caught, he faces the law.

It is necessary for them to know this though quite a number of them are aware, but because our local underwriters usually don’t draw their attention to it.

But the foreign loss adjusters cannot just come in on their own without being invited The underwriter will appoint an adjuster and in complex cases, the re-insurer may want an international loss adjuster to also be involved, working along with the local adjusters. Our own underwriters here are those that are suppose to tell the adjusters who are appointed through the re-insurer that you cannot work alone in Nigeria because the law does not allow that; you must work with local adjusters probably an Associate, presenting to them the list of registered local adjusters for them to select from if they do not have one already. Our websites are there and our individual members also the websites where the foreign adjusters can interact with, interview and select whoever they chose as their partner here.

To save the industry from collapse, NAICOM introduced the ‘No Premium, No Cover’ at the beginning of this year. Why can’t the regulator also ensure that loss ad-

‘Insurance companies should set up machinery to find out buildings under construction without the appropriate insurance, buildings classified as public buildings fall within the purview of the law without appropriate insurance covers and make a report to the National Insurance Commission to take appropriate action’

• Omobayowa

justing is not driven into extinction?

NAICOM should also reflect this in their regulations by publishing a reminder that no underwriting company should appoint or allow a foreign adjuster to handle a claim in Nigeria 100 per cent without the involvement of at least one local adjuster. NAICOM should put this into their regulation. They should protect the interest of the local adjusters. After all, we pay our normal charges to the government.

The regulator should protect our interest. If NAICOM put this into their regulation, it will serve as a reminder to the insurers.

What are the other challenges facing loss adjusting in Nigeria?

There are about 45 functional registered local loss adjusting companies in Nigeria. It was more than that, but that is the number we have now. Others have closed due to poor remuneration. It is the only profession where the service provider has no authority to fix its own price but only rely on the consumer to do this. Some companies are dead because they did not have sufficient funds to run and to employ fresh graduates, train and to retain qualified loss adjusters. Over the years, ILAN, through her past successive governing Councils, has been asking the Nigeria Insurers Association (NIA) for an upward review of the old adjusters’ scale of fees which has been in use since 1992 without any review despite inflations and other economic vagaries that have rendered the scale palpably unrealistic, inefficient and potentially averse to the sustenance of professional adjusting practice in the country and the technical growth and development of the Nigerian insurance industry, and by extension, the national economy. Without sounding an alarmist, I am of the candid opinion that care must be taken to avoid a re-occurrence of capital flight if the local loss adjusting practice is forced into oblivion by frustration and thus give way to an influx of foreign adjusters who must be paid in foreign currencies that will automatically deplete our national foreign reserve.

We have complained variously in the past, but right now, I am adopting a new approach involving dialogue. We have agreed with NIA that there is need to have a review to encourage adjusters to earn a reasonable remuneration that can keep the loss adjusting profession in Nigeria in existence as it is in the developed or even developing economies. There is going to be a positive response this year. We are seeking audience with them and the new Council of NIA appear to be ready to go into discussion with us in the interest of the industry as a whole. The industry stands on three legs, the three legs must be there and function effectively before the industry itself can function effectively. NAICOM is not involved in fixing our fees but nothing is wrong if they get involved for the overall good of the industry.

Insurance penetration in other countries is said to thrive on enforcement. What is the situation in Nigeria?

Government has actually enforced a number of insurance products in the country, including the latest one on buildings under construction and the public buildings.

I am happy that the government is trying to do that and I am equally happy that NAICOM is equally working hard on that. It now depends on insurance companies to go all out and ensure that it sanitises the insuring public to comply. They should also be in a position to monitor to ensure all buildings under construction, and all other public buildings are in-

• Omobayowa

‘It is where that sanity exists that you can see insurers owing banks, not banks owing insurance companies as is the case in Nigeria. We will get there if we do things straight, correctly and reduce drastically the level of corruption in the country’ sured. Government should not be dependent on to do all things, we all must play our part. Insurance companies should set up machinery to find out buildings under construction without the appropriate insurance, buildings classified as public buildings fall within the purview of the law without appropriate insurance covers and make a report to the National Insurance Commission to take appropriate action.

After 70 years of existence, insurance still contributes less than 10 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Why is this so?

What is the level of education?

Education is an important factor in this regard. The Industry is trying hard to create the necessary insurance awareness among Nigerians. Insurance awareness is still very low and too poor, that is why insurance cannot contribute much to the economy. In developed nations that understand the benefits of insurance, insurers are the owners of banks because the little insurance premiums become huge to do business with if there is proper management of it, if there is no undercutting of premium rates by unscrupulous underwriters and such other factors. It is where that sanity exists that you can see insurers owing banks, not banks owing insurance companies as is the case in Nigeria. We will get there if we do things straight, correctly and reduce drastically the level of corruption in the country.

Why are we still having issues with claims settlement?

Those complaining may be right and wrong. There are some genuine claims that underwriters may turn down for some reasons but as an adjuster, I have not witnessed a claim that I have adjusted that an

underwriter will turn down. Some claims are handled in-house by some underwriters. The complaints could be from those ones handled in-house by the underwriters.

Following last year’s floods in some parts of the country, the Federal Government budgeted N17 billion as compensation, states and other bodies too have been announcing various amounts as compensation to the victims. As a risk and claims expert, is this proper ?

This is a misnomer. Even if these people were not aware of need for insurance, why given them the compensation in the first place, the government should have used that opportunity to tell them about insurance and warn them to take to insurance against future occurrence and get them to embrace it, but that was not done. At any rate our level of education in Nigeria is also militating against appreciation of insurance. Again, because of the high level of corruption, people are always looking for ways to line their pockets with the nation’s money.

Where do you see the NAICOM’s new policy on payment before insurance cover is granted taking the industry to this year?

It is a welcome development, a positive one too. Initially, it may be difficult. There is no good thing that starts from a smooth level.

There is light at the end of the tunnel if we keep doing the right thing, if we do the business the way it is supposed to be done. In the next two to three years there will be very positive results through adherence to the law because the insuring public will become fully aware that you must pay premium before you can be granted insurance cover. Those that were used to getting cover on credit in the past, to them it will be difficult now but they will adjust.

34

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

Taxation

Issues underlying transfer pricing (II)

A

S earlier stated, our transfer pricing regulation is benchmarked against the OECD transfer pricing guidelines. The Transfer Pricing Regulations also provide a "Safe Harbour", which is an exemption from "documentation requirement" of Regulation 6 limiting it to when price is in accordance with the requirement of Nigerian statutory provisions and/or when price approved by other government regulatory agencies/authorities established by Nigerian law provided that FIRS is satisfied that the price is at arm's length.

Though this can be tagged as mere "approval in principle" since the FIRS reserves the right to still scrutinise the transactions and ensure compliance to the "arm length" principle. The regulations also make provision for a dispute resolution panel to serves as an administrative dispute resolution mechanism from issues arising from the provisions of the Regulations.

In effect the regulations provide an appropriate basis for taxing economic activities of associated enterprises as well as tools for fighting tax evasion.

Provisions of the regulations also reduce the risk of economic double taxation. Also included is a level playing field between MNE and independent enterprises.

The scope of the regulations covers sale and purchases of goods and services, sales, purchase or lease of tangible assets, transfer, purchase, licence or use of intangible assets, provision of services, lending or borrowing of money, manufacturing arrangement and any transaction incidental, connected or pertaining to the above transactions.

The regulations also adopt popular transfer pricing methods, such as comparable Uncontrolled Price (CUP), cost plus, resale price, transaction net margin method (TNMM) and transactional Profit Split. In all these, method used must be appropriate to the particular transaction bearing in mind the relative strength and weakness of each method, the nature of the transaction, availability of reliable information and degree of comparability.

The arm's length principle, which is the global benchmark for establishing transfer prices between related parties is recognised in Regulation 4 of the Transfer Pricing Regulations.

It empowers the Service to make adjustments where necessary to make a controlled transaction consistent with the arm's length principle. The application of the arm's length principle assists governments to ensure that the taxable profits of multinationals are not artificially or deliberately shifted out of their jurisdiction and that the tax base reported by multinationals in their country reflects the economic activity undertaken therein.

It also limits the risks of economic double taxation that may result from a dispute between two countries on the determination of the remuneration for cross-border transactions between associated enterprises.

Nearly all systems require that prices be tested using an "arm's length" standard. Using this method, a price is considered appropriate if it is within a range of prices that would be charged by independent parties dealing at arm's length.

This is generally defined as a price that an independent buyer would pay an independent seller for an identical item under identical terms and conditions, where neither is under any obligation to act.

There are clear practical difficulties in implementing the arm's length standard. For items other than goods, there are rarely identical items.

Terms of sale may vary from transaction to transaction. Market and other conditions may vary geographically or over time. Some systems give a preference to certain transactional methods over other methods for testing prices.

The application of the arm's length principle is generally based on a comparison of the conditions in a controlled transaction with the conditions in comparable transactions between independent enterprises, referred to as a "comparability analysis". The OCED Transfer Pricing Guidelines

•Ag. Executive Chairman, FIRS, Alhaji Kabir Mohammed Mashi

‘In all these, method used must be appropriate to the particular transaction bearing in mind the relative strength and weakness of each method, the nature of the transaction, availability of reliable information and degree of comparability’

By Frank Onero Obaro

(‘TPG’), which has been adopted unchanged by some jurisdictions contain guidance on comparability analysis and a description of five transfer pricing methods, which can be used to establish whether the conditions of a transaction between associated enterprises satisfy the arm's length principle. The OECD and the United Nations Tax Committee have both endorsed the "arm's length" principle, and it is widely used as the basis for double taxation treaties between governments.

The rules of nearly all countries permit related parties to set prices in any manner, but permit the tax authorities to adjust those prices where the prices charged are outside an arm's length range. Rules are generally provided for determining what constitutes such arm's length prices, and how any analysis should proceed.

Prices actually charged are compared to prices or measures of profitability for unrelated transactions and parties. The rules generally require that market level, functions, risks, and terms of sale of unrelated party transactions or activities be reasonably comparable to such items with respect to the related party transactions or profitability being tested.

Most systems allow use of multiple methods, where appropriate and supported by reliable data, to test related party prices. Among the commonly used methods are comparable uncontrolled prices, cost-plus, resale price or mark-up, and the TNMM. Many systems differentiate methods of testing goods from those for services or use of property due to inherent differences in business aspects of such broad types of transactions. Some systems provide mechanisms for sharing or allocation of costs of acquiring assets (including intangible assets) among related parties in a manner designed to reduce tax controversy.

Most tax treaties and many tax systems provide mechanisms for resolving disputes among taxpayers and governments in a manner designed to reduce the potential for double taxation. Many systems also permit advance agreement between taxpayers and one or more governments regarding mechanisms for setting related party

•Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

prices.

Many systems impose penalties where the tax authority has adjusted related party prices. Some tax systems provide that taxpayers may avoid such penalties by preparing documentation in advance regarding prices charged between the taxpayer and related parties. Some systems require that such documentation be prepared in advance in all cases.

Developing economies are keenly aware of the challenges posed by transfer pricing. Their goal is the same as for OECD countries: protecting their tax base while not hampering foreign direct investment and cross-border trade. The arm's length principle can help them achieve that goal.

The key is to tailor the legislative measures and administrative effort to the strategic needs and resources of each country.

Applying the arm's length principle can become complex and resource-intensive, though policy makers should bear in mind that most OECD countries started modestly and built their transfer pricing legislation and practices gradually over several years. Indeed, they are still in the process of improving them.

The USA transfer pricing regulations of 1994 and the risk of severe penalties, even in case of nondeliberate deviations from the arm's length principle have resulted in both the USA and countries revising their transfer pricing methods.

Countries with less sophisticated tax systems and administrations run the risk of absorbing the effect of stronger enforcement of transfer pricing in developed countries, and, in effect, paying at least some of the MNEs tax costs in those countries. In order to avoid this, any countries have introduced new transfer pricing rules since that time.

Tax authorities in developing countries that wish to implement transfer pricing legislation may focus on the most common types of transactions and sectors in their economy first, for instance the exploitation of natural resources, manufacturing, or service activities. Enforcement objectives should be realistic, given the available capacity, and compliance requirements made reasonable for taxpayers in light of the size of the cross border trade. So-called "safe harbours" are sometimes used to simplify compliance by small taxpayers, or to deal with small and less complex transactions carried out by multinational enterprises.

Given the global and sometimes controversial nature of transfer pricing, it is important to develop internationally shared principles to help each country fight abusive transfers of profit abroad, while at the same time limiting the risk of double taxation of those profits. This is what the arm's length principle is for. As more developing countries apply it, new lessons will be learned.

This is a key step on the road to building a stronger and fairer world economy.

35

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

INSURANCE

Underwriters battle to produce IFRS compliant accounts NDERWRITERS are battling to beat the six months deadline given by the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) within which they are expected to submit their audited and approved International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) compliant accounts.

NAICOM said out of the 60 insurance and re-insurance firms in operation, only three have sent their IFRS draft accounts to the Commission three months to the deadline for submission of 2012 financial reports which must be IFRS compliant.

The Director, Supervision, NAICOM, Nicholas Opara, who disclosed this during a meeting in Lagos, said the drafts have been returned to the companies as there are still areas to be worked on after necessary observations made by the Commission.

He said last year’s financial reports of operators are special to the industry, as they are expected to

U

•Only three firms sent in drafts, says NAICOM Stories by Uyoatta Eshiet

herald the migration to the new IFRS regime.

He said: “At the moment, no company has submitted full IFRS compliant account. It is only three companies that have sent in their drafts which we have returned to them, as there are still many things they are yet to get right. The 2012 reports are special because it is different from what we have been doing in the past.”

According to a roadmap to guide companies’ on transition to IFRS, insurance and reinsurance companies are classified under public interest entities and were expected to start their transition from January 1, 2011, while the insurance brokers, classified under other public interest entities, were to take their turn in 2012.

The transition from the National

Standard to IFRS was endorsed by the Federal Government on July 28, 2010, to take effect from January 1, 2012.

On efforts to ensure the actualisation of the IFRS initiative, the Commissioner for Insurance, Fola Daniel, said NAICOM has been engaging operators, auditors, directors and management of companies on how to seamlessly migrate to the initiative.

He said two main outcomes have been reached by NAICOM and stakeholders on the initiative, adding that it was agreed that the market should adopt common approach to IFRS provided that such option will not place any individual company or the market at a competitive disadvantage domestically and internationally.

He said the second issue, was that an accounting practices committee made up of the representative of

NAICOM, insurers/reinsurers and external auditors should be set up to address all accounting issues of concern to the industry, including those emerging from IFRS standard setting processes.

He explained that the Board of Directors of each company would be responsible for the issuance of financial statements, adding that both transition and sustenance of IFRS in accounting practices, should be a major item on directors’ agenda at this time.

Daniel noted that NAICOM’s decision to engage stakeholders was informed by the need not only to create awareness of the implication of IFRS for financial reporting responsibilities, but also to acquaint them with the scale of change and the sense of urgency in the attention it deserves.

“Our expectation is that at the end of our engagements, the stakehold-

ers will have sufficient level of understanding as to know what critical questions to ask and what steps to take in the bid to ensure that their companies successfully transit to and imbibe IFRS in their accounting practices within the timelines specified in the Nigerian Roadmap.”

He said NAICOM has established IFRS help desk in the commission to address issues that companies may have in the process of transiting to the new scheme..

He said NAICOM has succeeded in significantly improving the level of compliance with the Nigerian GAAP by getting some companies to amend their financial statements to reflect a standard we believe all operators should comply with, if their financials will be relevant and useful to both domestic and international users.”

Daniel said the feedback received from many users has been encouraging.

‘40% of Nigerians lack insurance knowledge’

T

HE Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Riskguard Africa, Nigeria Limited, a pension and insurance consulting firm, Yemi Soladoye, has said 40 per cent of Nigerians lack any knowledge about what insurance is all about.

Soladoye said this was discovered from a research work that was carried out under the development of microinsurance, which was made available to the National Insurance Commission.

“According to a report submitted to NAICOM, at the end of the feasibility study for sales of microinsurance, the report revealed that 40 per cent of Nigerians don’t have any opinion about

what insurance is all about, whether positive or negative.”

According to the findings, most of those interviewed did not know what insurance does to individuals, or the society, while some saw insurance as a means to borrow money to buy assets.

The insurance expert said that when the industry commenced campaign on the benefits of compulsory insurance, many people were excited about it and showed their readiness to obtain some of the insurance policies.

He said the mortgage industry which should maximise the potentials of insurance, was not well developed to utilise insurance effectively.

Non-life accounts for 61.6% of premium, says report

A

REPORT by Researchmoz, world’s renowned research agency, has said the non-life segment of Nigerian Insurance Industry, accounted for 61.6 per cent of the premium underwritten by insurers, last year.

The agency, which undertook indepth market analysis, information and insights into the insurance industries in Nigeria, Gabon, Uganda, and Rwanda, said the Nigerian Insurance sector experienced strong growth over the review period, adding that the industry’s growth was supported by relatively stable macro-economic conditions and a favorable investment climate.

It said: “The insurance industry in the country is very small, yet highly crowded and competitive. The key

segment driving the overall industry is the non-life segment which accounted for the largest share of 61.6 per cent of the industry’s total written premium in 2012.

“For low income earners, the Nigerian government has concertedly promoted micro insurance; however a poor understanding among consumers of the benefits of such products and inefficient distribution channels is limiting their spread,” the report indicated.

According to the agency, the report provides a comprehensive analysis of the insurance industry and also provides historical values for the industry for the 2008 to 2012 review period and also provides forecast figures for the 2012 to 2017 forecast period.

US Corporate Pension Plan deficits rises to $388.8b

T

HE difference between assets and expected liabilities of the 100 largest United States corporate pension plans ballooned by $61.1 billion to $388.8 billion last year due to record low interest rates, according to a new study by Milliman Inc., a global consulting and actuarial firm.

The pension funding ratio dropped to 77.2 per cent, down two percentage points from 2011, the study also found.

“Many plan sponsors made significant efforts to de-risk their pension plans in 2012, even as record-low interest rates made it an expensive time to pursue these kinds of risk management efforts,” John Ehrhardt, consulting actuary and co-author of the 2013

Pension Funding Study, said in a statement. “But there was no fighting the inevitable gravity of these low interest rates, as the 100 pension plans in our study saw a cumulative deficit increase in excess of $60 billion.”

De-risking strategies employed by pension plans last year included billions of dollars’ worth of one-time lump-sum payouts meant to lessen the volatility of pension portfolios.

Last year, Ford Motor Co. offered salaried retirees and former employees the option to take their monthly pension benefit as a lump-sum payment, and General Motors revealed that it had spent $3.6 billion on pension buyouts for white-collar retirees.

•From left: Managing Director, Royal Exchange Healthcare Limited Dr. Pius Ofulie; Managing Director, Royal Exchange General Insurance, Mr Olutayo Borokini; Group Executive Director, Marketing & Sales, Alhaji Auwalu Muktari and Managing Director, Royal Exchange Prudential Life Assurance, Mr Wale Banmore, during the CEO Forum of the National Association of Insurance Correspondents (NAICO) in Lagos.

Firm to sell products in local dialects

S

OVEREIGN Trust Insurance Plc said it has adopted a nationwide radio campaign in local dialects to sell some of its personal line products.

It said in a statement that the campaign will leverage on jingles in the major languages and Pidgin in some selected radio stations across the major commercial states and cities to drive the products.

It said one of the major products on offer is the Sovereign Wellbeing Insurance Scheme for the Family (SWIS-F), adding that the product is a General Personal Accident (GPA) policy with varied features and benefits designed to cater for the family in any situation of eventuality. The premium for this package is N1, 500 per annum.

It explained that the benefits range from out-of-work benefit resulting from any form of accident; covering medical expenses of the insured arising from accident, payment of wellbeing lump-sum and gives free cover for the fourth child under the age of 17. The features include 10 per cent no-claim bonus, affordable and flexible premium payment, covering strike and civil commotion and has no geographical limitation.

The firm noted that with the current campaign, it is set to promote products under the Market Development & Restructuring Initiative, MDRI. “These products are basically de-

signed to cater for Third Party liabilities whenever the need arises.

They consist of the Third Party Motor Insurance, Occupiers’ Liability, Builders Liability and the Professional Healthcare Indemnity Insurance. For personal line products, prospective customers across the country can buy the Householders’/Houseowners’ policy, Fire & Burglary and All Risks Insurance for every of their private belongings in any of Sovereign Trust Insurance offices across the nation,” it said.

The Assistant General Manager/ Head, Direct Marketing Lanre Ojuola, said the move to embark on the radio vernacular campaign became necessary to erase the impression that insurance is only meant for the rich and mighty.

“We have carefully studied the market and came to the conclusion that a greater percentage of our prospective customers reside in the grassroots areas and could be denied the opportunity of knowing what benefits they could derive from having an insurance cover, hence, the need to take this information to them via the local languages on radio stations,” he added.

He noted that the initiative is in line with the company’s mission of ‘enhancing the everyday life of its customers’ across all sectors of the Nigerian economy and social class.

The company’s spokesperson, Segun Bankole noted that the adaptation of the media campaign in vernacular is to further entrench the Brand’s recall rate amongst the identified social class with a view to developing strong business opportunities in those climes.

He said the programme sponsorship is geared at educating this particular class of people on the need to make insurance a priority in their daily life.

Its Managing Director Wale Onaolapo said: “The idea behind the initiative is to ensure that the generality of the target audience are well covered and can easily connect with the product and make informed decision in taking any of the policies applicable to them.

“Our expectation of this campaign is that the target audience which cuts across, Teachers, Traders, Mechanics, Carpenters, Fashion Designers, Hair Dressers, Casual Labourers et al in the non-formal sector of the economy will avail themselves of the opportunities embedded in insurance.”

He noted that the company launched the SWIS-F product in 2008 and has since been enjoying patronage from different socioeconomic groups in the country but that this campaign would help enhance a larger coverage of prospective customers in localities yet to benefit from the product.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

36

DUE DILIGENCE

Cadbury Nigeria: Steady performance C

ADBURY Nigeria Plc leveraged on economy of scale and tightened cost management in 2012 to cushion the adverse impact of a sluggish top-line, strengthening further performance outlook of the food and beverages company. After six years of non-declaration of any dividend, Cadbury Nigeria signall ed full recovery from the hangovers of its 2006 accounting scandal with the recommendation for distribution of about N1.6 billion to shareholders as cash dividends for the 2012 business year.

Audited report and accounts of Cadbury Nigeria for the year ended December 31, 2012 showed marginal decline in sales, but improved cost and financing management squeezed out more profit than the previous year. Although tax provisions impinged on net earnings, underlying profitability ratios generally showed stronger performance.

The company’s balance sheet indicated better financing and liquidity positions, which supported the overall performance outlook. With lower gearing ratio, improved liquidity, higher working capital and increased proportionate contribution of equity funds to total assets, amenable balance sheet structure moderated midline constraints that could have resulted from the lull in sales.

2008

closed 2012 at 8.0 per cent as against 9.5 per cent in 2011.

By Taofik Salako

Financing structure

Total assets increased by 19 per cent to N40.16 billion in 2012 as against N33.66 billion in 2011. Noncurrent assets had increased marginally from N13.43 billion to N13.99 billion while current assets rose by 29 per cent from N20.23 billion to N26.17 billion. On the other hand, total liabilities rose by 18 per cent from N17.07 billion to N20.12 billion. While long-term liabilities steadied at about N3.2 billion, current liabilities increased by 22 per cent from N13.88 billion to N16.91 billion. The company’s paid up share capital remained unchanged at about N1.57 billion, consisting of about 3.13 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each. With about 55 per cent of net earnings flowed into the reserves, shareholders’ funds improved by 21 per cent to N20.04 billion compared with N16.59 billion recorded in the previous year.

The underlying financing structure improved slightly in 2012. The proportion of equity funds to total assets inched up to 50 per cent in 2012 as against 49 per cent in 2011.

Debt-to-equity ratio improved from 9.0 per cent to 7.5 per cent.

However, current liabilities/total assets ratio stood at 42 per cent in 2012 as against 41 per cent in 2011.

Long-term liabilities/total assets

2009

2010

Efficiency

Overall outlook appeared to suggest steady productivity and cost efficiency in 2012. Although there were no available data to determine actual unit cost per productive output at the press time, available extracts indicated little negative variance. Total cost of business, excluding financing charges, stood at 88.4 per cent of total sales in 2012, almost flat with 88.0 per cent recorded in 2011.

Profitability

The profit and loss performance showed a mixed-grill in 2012 as sluggish sales weighed in on overall performance. While the lull in sales constrained opportunity for wider profit growth, the company fell on cost and finance management to mitigate decline and steady the bottom-line. These played out variously in the outward profit and loss items and the underlying profitability ratios.

While sales, gross profit and trading profit dipped to lower levels, gross profit margin and pre-tax profit margin showed improved cost efficiency and profitability.

Gross profit margin inched up to 33.1 per cent in 2012 as against N32.7 per cent in 2011. Profit before tax margin also improved modestly from 14.8 per cent to 16.4 per cent. Both indices indicated that the company witnessed improvement in average profit per unit of sales, in spite of the decline in actual figures.

Total sales dropped marginally by 1.6 per cent from N34.11 billion to N33.55 billion.

Cost of sales also slumped to N22.45 billion from N22.95 billion. Gross profit flattened to N11.10 billion in 2012 as against 11.16 billion in 2012 2011. Total operating

2011

Fiscal Year Ended December 31 Nmillion

2012 12 months

% change

2011 12 months

Profit and Loss Statement Main Business Segment Total turnover Cost of sales Gross profit Operating expenses Interest and other incomes Finance expenses Pre-tax profit(loss) Post-tax profit (loss) Basic earnings per share(kobo) Gross dividend (Nm) Cash dividend per share (kobo) Net Assets per share (kobo)

33,551 33,551 22,453 11,097 7,205 1,619 NA 5,512 3,455 110 1,565 50 640

-1.6 -1.6 -2.2 -0.6 1.8 66.7 0.0 9.1 -5.9 -6.0 0.0 0.0 20.8

34,111 34,111 22,951 11,159 7,077 971 NA 5,053 3,671 117 0 0 530

13,938 13,992 6,267 26,165 40,157

14.5 4.2 18.7 29.3 19.3

12,176 13,425 5,281 20,231 33,656

14,742 1,500 16,905 3,212 20,117

20.9 0.0 21.8 0.6 17.9

12,196 1,500 13,875 3,192 17,067

1,565 20,039

0.0 20.8

1,565 16,589

Balance Sheet Assets: Fixed assets Total long term assets Trade debtors Current assets Total assets Liabilities: Trade creditors Bank loans Current liabilities Long-term liabilities Total liabilities Equity Funds Share capital Total Equity Funds

expenses stood at N7.21 billion, some 1.8 per cent above N7.08 billion recorded in 2011. Trading profit thus dropped from N4.08 billion to N3.89 billion. With 67 per cent increase in non-core business income from N971 million to N1.62 billion, profit before tax heaved upward to N5.51 billion in 2012 compared with N5.05 billion in 2011. However, increase in tax provisions reversed net profit after tax by 5.9 per cent to N3.46 billion as against N3.67 billion in previous year.

Per share analysis indicated earnings per share of N1.10 in 2012, a slight decrease from N1.17 recorded in 2012. The board of the company has recommended the distribution of some 45 per cent of net earnings as cash dividends to shareholders. Gross dividend of N1.57 billion would be distributed on the basis of 50 kobo per every ordinary share of 50 kobo each.

Though current earnings yield and dividend yield appear relatively low, the recommendation suggests a recovery and represents substantial yield for long-term investors, such as those that picked up their rights during the last supplementary issue. Net assets per share also increased by 21 per cent from N5.30 to N6.40. The dividend cover of 2.20 times also represents substantial future payment potential. Underlying returns were however, generally lower. Return on total assets dropped from 15 per cent to 13.7 per cent while return on equity slipped from 22.1 per cent to 17.2 per cent.

Liquidity The liquidity position of the company improved considerably during the period. Current ratio, which indicates the potential ability of the company to meet emerging liabilities, strengthened to 1.55 times in 2012 compared with 1.46 times in 2011. The proportion of working capital to sales also improved from 18.6 per cent to 27.6 per cent. Debtors/creditors ratio stood at 42.5 per cent as against 43.3 per cent.

Governance and structures Incorporated in January 1965, Cadbury Nigeria Plc became a publicly quoted company in 1976.

Mondelçz International, a global snacks company, holds the majority equity stake of 74.99 per cent in Cadbury Nigeria while thousands of Nigerian individual and institutional shareholders hold the remaining 25.01 per cent. The dogged foreign investors had increased its equity stake through acquisition of additional rights’ shares, which

•MD, Cadbury Nig, Emil Moskofian

were not picked up by the Nigerian investors during the trying period of the food and beverages company. Mondelçz International has operations in 165 countries with total revenue of $35 billion in 2012. Mondelçz is listed in the Standard and Poor’s 500, NASDAQ 100 and Dow Jones Sustainability Index.

The board and management of the company remained stable. Mr Atedo Peterside still chairs the board. Mr Emil Moskofian replaced Mr Alan Palmer as the managing director. Cadbury Nigeria complied with codes of corporate governance and best practices during the review period.

Analyst’s opinion The board and management of Cadbury Nigeria clearly have their challenge cut out for them-to unfrozen the top-line while sustaining efficient cost management. The performance in 2012 still showed resilience and the company appeared to be in good stead to surmount the headline problem. With a relatively strong balance sheet, streamlined business that focused on optimal return and recent horizontal and vertical integrations, the intrinsic potential, just like the underlying profitability, tends to outweigh the negative. Besides jumpstarting sales, the recent absorption of its less-optimal subsidiary-Stanmark Cocoa Processing Company Limited and continuing integration of Cadbury Nigeria as the hub for Mondelez International’s African operations are expected to be catalysts for significant growths in the years ahead. Fast moving consumer goods multinationals tend to shadow one another in terms of investments and growth plans, and Cadbury Nigeria may witness further expansion in line with the competitive trend. Overall, there are reasonable basis to assume that Cadbury Nigeria may sustain its recovery.

Fiscal Year Ended December 31

2012

2011

%

%

Financing structure Equity funds/Total assets Long-term liabilities/Total assets Current liabilities/Total assets Debt/Equity ratio

49.9 8.0 42.1 7.5

49.3 9.5 41.2 9.0

Profitability Gross profit margin Pre-tax profit margin Return on total assets Return on equity Dividend cover (times)

33.1 16.4 13.7 17.2 2.20

32.7 14.8 15.0 22.1 0.00

Efficiency Pre-tax profit per employee (Nm) Staff cost per employee (Nm) Cost of sales, operating exp/Turnover

NA NA 88.4

NA NA 88.0

Liquidity Current ratio Working capital/Turnover Debtors/Creditors

1.55 27.6 42.5

1.46 18.6 43.3

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THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

37

• Youth corps members

Getting graduates to be self-employed Graduates with little or no skills need not lose sleep. Reason: Microsoft Corporation plans to develop their skills to make them employable. The scheme is designed to train millions of graduates in Nigeria and other countries in the next three years. This initiative is expected to reduce unemployment, writes AKINOLA AJIBADE

T

HE questions come tumbling out of their mouths. In most cases, their questions stem from their frustrations with the situation in which they find themselves. “How can we overcome unemployment?” “Who will employ us since we do not have the prerequisite skills?” What prospect does the future hold for us given the soaring rate of unemployment in Nigeria?” These are some of the questions being asked by unemployed graduates in their despirate search for jobs.

Soon, their questions may be answered through Microsoft Corporation, which is planning to develop the skills of graduates. The software giant has unveiled some initiatives to unearth, develop, and boost the skills of graduates. The initiatives, which include Microsoft YouthSpark, Business Spark, among others, are meant to equip graduates with relevant skills and make them employable. The development, which followed

the skills-gap among graduates, compelled Microsoft to visit Iyana Ipaja camp to teach graduates how to develop their skills and get jobs.

Speaking at the unveiling of Microsoft Youth Spark in Lagos, Head, Citizenship, Microsoft Anglophone Countries, Mr Ugochukwu Nwosu, said the initiative will help in creating new opportunities for over 30 million youths in 100 countries by 2015.

Nwosu said the scheme would empower the youths and enable them aim for new possibilities.

Microsoft, he said, has created the Nigerian Employability Portal, adding that the portal will enable graduates have access free courses, build their skills and careers. He said there are over 70 courses on the portal, adding that each of the courses has the potentials to create jobs.

Nwosu said there were courses on software development, education, counselling, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) products/services, among others. Nwosu said

training centres have been established across the country, adding that Microsoft has approved 15 partners to train the applicants.

He said: “Fifteen partners have been approved to train the graduates when the portal is ready for use. Graduates would be attached to a partner, who will improve their skills on various issues. YouthSpark is for graduates, undergraduates, and youths. The reason you go to school is to learn how to do something for yourself and earn a living.

You need to discover your potential and develop them through the initiatives rolled out by Microsoft. After the training, graduates must have acquired some skills that would help them to be self-reliant.”

He said undergraduates who enroll for the courses would be able to create job ideas during or after the national service programme.

According to him, Microsoft partners would by 2015 travel to all the universities to train undergraduates and let them know that they don’t need to look for jobs after

leaving schools.

The National Technology Officer, Microsoft Francophone Countries, Mr Olayinka Oni, said an Information and Technology (IT) Academy had been established to train people on various courses and help them in creating jobs for themselves.

“The academy would enable people to access all kinds of IT courses on-line. Most of us want to get different kinds of certifications to get jobs. Through this, unemployed can get jobs or work on their own in order to make use of the unfolding opportunities in the rapidly growing Information Communication and Technology (ICT) industry, he added.

He said Business Spark is another idea initiated to develop a future workforce in Nigeria and Africa. The idea is woven around three pillars-innovation, access and world class. The innovative pillar •Continued on page 38

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

38

JOBS

Getting graduates to be self-employed •Continued from page 37 ensures that people come out with proven business ideas before they can get funding from Microsoft, while the access pillar ensures that SMEs’owners are connected online. The world class pillar ensures that 200 Africans acquire skills that would make them employable.

He said graduates should be able to set up their own businesses after the Youth Service and become employers.

Director-General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Brig-General, Nnamdi OkoreAffia, said graduates who develop their skills stand a better chance of getting jobs. Represented by an official of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Department of NYSC, Mr Isaac Obioma, Affia advised graduates to think of life after school. He said when graduates get enough skills, they would be able to see and explore job opportunities. He said YouthSpark is a tool for job creation, urging youths to make good use of it.

“After leaving the school, graduates should ask themselves this question: What next?

That is why people must key into Microsoft programmes and avail themselves of the opportunities there. Once graduates are able to create jobs for themselves, they are reducing the burden on government. This is going to have a multiplier effect on the economy,” he said.

NYSC Coordinator in Lagos State Mrs Adenike Adeyemi said the Service is partnering with Microsoft to reduce unemployment among school leavers. NYSC partnered with Microsoft, following the discovery that many graduates are not employable in Nigeria.

“Many graduates go about with their resumes and applications without being able to get jobs. The reason is because they lack the necessary skills, coupled with other socio-economic problems. This made us partner with Microsoft Corporation through Mind The Gap, a Non-Governmental Organisation, committed to tackle unemployment in the country. We want graduates to acquire skills and translate it to success by having their own businesses. We want them to be-

• Gen Okore-Affia

• Bill Gates

come employers of labour, and not job’ seekers,” she said.

Managing Director, Mind The Gap, Mr Tayo Olosunde, said YouthSpark is an initiative that would help in preparing graduates for the future, Olosunde said many students are not discerning by not knowing that they have a lot of job opportunities to tap from. He added that they would get ideas when they get to camp through the Microsoft’ programmes. He said there is

huge gap between what the schools offered and the requirements of the labour market, advising students to acquire the necessary skills to overcome unemployment. He said graduates need to think of what they can do for themselves, and stop looking for jobs that do not exit.

Mr Olosunde said YouthSpark and other ideas have created several job’opportunities, arguing that it is left for graduates to look for areas that best suited them.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS Fresh management appointments at UBA

• Iweriebor

T

HE United Bank for Africa (UBA) has announced some key senior level appointments to strengthen some areas of its operations.

Its Board of Directors has named Mr Emeke Iweriebor as Executive Director, Corporate Banking as well as the bank’s operations in Lagos and the Western Region. He would be covering nine states. They are Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, Kwara, Edo and Delta.

The elevation is in recognition of Iweriebor’s hard work, commitment and diligence.

His appointment, according to a statement, is subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria

(CBN). He was the Deputy Chief executive Officer, UBA Africa. He has 20 years experience in several areas of banking.

Iweriebor was MD/CEO, UBA Cameroon and later the CEO, UBA Central, East and Southern Africa.

He holds a Bachelor and Masters in Political Science (International Relations); an MBA from the University of Lagos and is also an alumnus of the Wharton Business School’s Executive Development Programme.

UBA also appointed Puri Ibrahim as Head, North Central Bank; Emmanuel Onokpasa, Group Treasurer and Emem Etuk, Deputy Directorate Head of Abuja and East Bank.

Etuk will double as Regional Bank Head, Cross River and Akwa Ibom states.

For the bank’s African operations, Mr Emmanuel Nnorom, the group’s erstwhile Executive Director, Risk Management, was named CEO, UBA Africa.

Nnorom was appointed Executive Director in 2008 and has held several senior level positions since joining UBA. Some of these include the Group Chief Operating Officer, Information Technology, Operations, Corporate Services, Marketing and Corporate communications, Customer Service, Facility & Real Estate Management, Human Resources and Regulatory Affairs.

Others appointees include

Mamadou Sanon as MD/CEO, UBA Gabon; Amie Sow as MD/CEO of UBA Senegal; Marcel Bitang, MD/ CEO, UBA Congo DRC; Martin Che, MD/CEO, UBA Congo Brazzaville; Stanley Ugwueze, MD/CEO, UBA Zambia and Ms. Abiola Bauwah, Deputy Managing Director, UBA Ghana.

They also include Benedict Nklama as Executive Director, designate of UBA Kenya; Wilbrod Owor, Executive Director, UBA Uganda and Chinedu Obeta, Executive Director, UBA Sierra Leone.

UBA Plc’s Group Managing Director/CEO, Mr Phillips Oduoza, said: “These appointments, which demonstrate the strength and quality of our succession policy, will

• Etuk

enable the bank to continuously leverage on its qualified, dependable and efficient human resources to drive the achievement our strategic intent of being the first choice financial institution in Africa.”

Flour Mills gets new chief executive officer

F

LOUR Mills of Nigeria Plc has appointed Paul Gbededo as its Group Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer with effect from today.

He succeeds Chief Emmanuel Ukpabi who retired last month and assumed the position of ViceChairman of the Board of Directors of the company.

Gbededo, who has spent over 30 years with FMN Group, joined the Group at Nigerian Bag Manufac-turing Company Plc. (BAGCO) in 1982 where he acquired extensive experience in manufacturing and general management positions and became the first Nigerian Production Director in 1996.

In 1998, he moved to Flour Mills as General Manager/Director in charge of Fertiliser Operations where he pioneered development of the Golden Fertiliser business.

He also was pioneer General Manager/Director of Golden Pasta Company.

Last year, he was elevated to the position of Managing Director,

CAREER MANAGEMENT Optimising multiple job opportunities K

AYODE has a poser: I cast a wide net in my job search and interview with some companies that I am not that interested in just to practise and get out there.

Well, I am far along in the process with some of these and just beginning with my first choice companies. I am afraid that an offer will come along that I don’t really want. At the same time, in this market I am afraid to turn down a sure thing with just the hope of something better. What can I do to buy time?

In this market, more candidates are casting a very wide net with their job search with good reasons. Hiring targets change constantly as budgets get slashed, companies get acquired or restructured, or circumstances change the needs over time as firms take longer and longer to decide. The reality of applying to a lot of places is that it is almost impossible to control the pace of the search. Some companies move through the process faster than others. You may find that you are in the final rounds at one company and just starting the first round elsewhere. If you prefer the slower company, how do you slow down the faster search without seeming disinterested?

Just as you negotiate salary and other

By Olu Oyeniran

conditions of service, here you need to negotiate for time. The same general rules of negotiation apply: know who you are negotiating with - their wants, their constraints - and frame your requests accordingly. Prospective employers want their company to be your first choice. They want to know that you’re excited and genuinely interested in the position. They also have very real time and budget constraints.

Maybe you are filling a spot for someone who is leaving in two weeks and they need to have the replacement there next week to transition. Maybe their fiscal year ends in two weeks so if they don’t hire for this spot before then they lose that space in the budget. When a company pushes a process through quickly or pushes for a decision quickly, they may have good reasons and not just giving you a hard time.

Therefore, ask about timing for all employers as you go through the process.

How quickly do you expect to make a decision? When do you need this person to start? How many rounds/ how many people

will be involved in the decision? Once you know that a firm is interested in you, these are all fair questions and will help you know how quickly the process may move for all companies in your pipeline so you can effectively juggle your schedule and negotiate for time.

Negotiate a wide range. You might say, “Officially, I am to give two months notice, but I can make it one. Really, it all depends on the projects at hand” You can get the information to your firstchoice company about what is happening with the other company. Don’t be pushy but let them know that you have another company who is interested and close to a decision. Get a commitment or at least a good estimate from your first choice as to when you will hear from them. Then you know how much time you need to negotiate for. You also remind the first choice company that you are desirable on the market!

At the same time, ask your second choice for the time you need. Reiterate your interest, but let them know that you have

Agro-Allied Division with responsibility to formulate and drive the Group’s backward integration policies, programmes and initiatives. He is on the Board of Golden Sugar Company Limited and other FMN subsidiaries and he is responsible for the strategic direction of Golden Penny Rice Limited.

committed to certain projects/assignments and don’t/can’t/shouldn’t want to cut these short. It is not recommend continuing to interview with companies that you are not genuinely interested in because it wastes everyone’s time.

But if you would potentially accept an offer at a firm but it is just a lower priority, it is worth negotiating for more time so you can make an informed decision. Your second choice may become more desirable as you learn more about it (or about your first choice). In this way, negotiating for time means a more informed job search.

This article is an adaptation of a presentation by Caroline Ceniza-Levine.

She helps people find fulfilling jobs and careers, and co-author (along with Donald Trump, Jack Canfield and others) of the bestselling How the Fierce Handle Fear: Secrets to Succeeding in Challenging Times 2010; Two Harbors •Oyeniran is the Lead Consultant, EkiniConsult & Associates & author.

Jobsearchguru’s Job-Hunting Manual. He can be reached on Jobsearchhow.com.ng Tel 08083843230 (SMS Only).

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

39

International Business

US economy ekes out 0.4% growth in Q 4

T

HE United States economy grew at a faster than expected 0.4 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2012, the Department of Commerce has said.

According to the British Broadcasting Corporation(BBC), the annualised figure was better than an earlier estimate of 0.1 per cent growth, reflecting increased investments in plant and equipment.

However, despite the upwards

revision, the department warned that the economy remained “sluggish”.

The latest figures were a marked slowdown from the previous quarter.

An acute fall in defence spending and government expenditures hurt economic output, said the department.

“While non-residential fixed investment is higher than previously estimated, the revision to GDP

(gross domestic product) has not changed the general picture of the economy,” it said in a statement.

The October-December figures came amid hopes that the US economic recovery is gathering steam, following a string of recent data showing rising home sales and an improving labour market.

Wall Street shares opened flat on Thursday, with the S&P 500 index hovering near its all-time closing high.

“Fundamentally, the economy is improving and we are getting good earnings,” said Jack DeGan, chief investment officer of Harbor Advisory.

BMO Capital Markets economist Jennifer Lee described the revised fourth quarter rate as “still disappointing”, but said that the investment bank was expecting US GDP to increase by 2.2 per cent this year, the rate at which the economy grew last year.

In a report last week, the US Federal

Reserve said that the economy had strengthened “moderately” but still needed stimulus measures to underpin recovery.

The Fed has said it would keep its policy of buying $85billion a month of Treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities in order to lower borrowing costs for households and businesses.

Although US joblessness has fallen, the Fed said it wanted to see signs of a long-term trend of falling unemployment.

France’s Hollande wants 75% payroll tax on rich

F

RENCH President Francois Hollande made changes to his failed proposal for a 75 per cent top tax rate on Thursday, shifting the burden of payment from individuals to businesses that pay salaries over one million euro.

Reuters reports that Hollande, during last year’s presidential campaign, proposed a 75 per cent tax rate on individual income above one million euro. The controversial tax was rejected by France’s judiciary.

Hollande made his new payroll tax proposal on big salaries during a late-night television broadcast.

“The Constitutional Council made a decision,” Hollande said. “I respect it. So, I’m going to take a different path.”

Hollande said the measure is needed to ensure transparency at large corporations — the only businesses that can afford to pay employees so generously.

His initial proposal, which never became law, inspired French actor Gerard Depardieu to abandon the country, instead adopting Russian citizenship and moving to Belgium.

Depardieu is a cultural icon in France, and his departure triggered a hailstorm of public comment for and against him.

In the United States, Democrats have also made the argument that the rich should pay higher taxes as a mat-

ter of fairness. As part of the fiscal cliff deal at the start of this year, the top marginal rate on income was allowed to revert to its pre-2001 level of 39.6 per cent .

Hollande’s popularity has fallen dramatically in recent months, and the embattled president used the broadcast Thursday to press for more reforms.

The French economy, second only in size to Germany in the 17-nation eurozone, has stagnated.

Markit economist Jack Kennedy said last month that France’s performance in the first quarter of this year was shaping up to be the worst since 2009.

“The broad-based weakness across manufacturing and services leaves scant room for optimism, with a range of indicators from new orders, backlogs, employment and output prices all residing at depressed levels,” he said.

Germany, by contrast, saw a further improvement in business activity in February for a third month running, although the pace of expansion slowed slightly.

Markit said the gap in performance between the eurozone’s leading economies was at its widest since surveys began in 1998. France was beginning to look like it belonged to the group of economies on the eurozone periphery, rather than the core, it said.

Turkey resumes gold exports to Iran

T

URKEY exported almost $120million worth of gold to Iran in February, data showed, suggesting the two countries’ trade of gold for natural gas has resumed despite tighter U.S. sanctions, though at levels below last year’s peaks, Globe and Mail, reports.

United States’officials have sought to prevent Turkish gold exports from providing a financial lifeline to Tehran, which has been largely frozen out of the global banking system by Western sanctions over its nuclear programme.

Turkey sold no gold to Iran in January, according to data from the Turkish Statistics Institute (TUIK), as banks and dealers eyed the February 6 implementation of U.S. sanctions that tightened control over precious metal sales.

The United States has given Turkey a six-month waiver exempting it from sanctions on trade with Iran, which is due to expire in July, but banks and dealers still have been cautious.

Turkey sold $117.9-million worth of gold to Iran last month, while exports to the United Arab Emirates, which has served in the past as a transit route to Tehran, rose to $402.3million from $371ed.

“Due to the sanctions, nobody wants to attract attention. That may be the reason why exports

stopped to Iran in January,” said one Istanbul gold trader, asking not to be named.

“However, trade with Iran continues; there will always be transfers. Looking at this year’s figures, the February exports to Iran are quite low, so it shouldn’t cause issues.”

Turkey’s monthly gold sales to Iran peaked last July at $1.8billion, more than 10 times the amount exported to Tehran last month.

Turkey, Iran’s biggest natural gas customer, has been paying Iran for energy imports with Turkish lira, because sanctions prevent it from paying in dollars or euros.

Iranians then use those lira, held in Halkbank accounts, to buy gold in Turkey, and couriers carry bullion worth millions of dollars in hand luggage to Dubai, where it can be sold for foreign currency or shipped to Iran.

Turkey is heavily dependent on imported energy and, while it has cut back on oil purchases from Iran, has made clear it cannot simply stop buying Iranian oil and gas.

Iran is refining uranium to a fissile concentration that Western experts say is a relatively short technical step from the level that would be suitable for atomic bombs.

Tehran says its enrichment programme is solely for civilian energy purposes.

• From left: Head, Corporate Communication, Access Bank Plc, Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan; Executive Director, United Nations Global Compact, George Kell, and Head, Group HR, Access Bank Plc, Bolaji Agbede, at the justconcluded 5th Annual Women’s Empowerment Principles Event in New York.

Japan retail sales fall more than forecast in Feb. R ETAIL sales in Japan fell by more than forecast in February, underlining the challenge the new government faces to stoke inflation and consumer demand, Reuters reports.

Sales dropped 2.3 per cent from a year earlier, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said.

Japan has been trying to boost domestic demand to offset a decline in exports and revive its stagnant economy, hurt over the years by deflation, or falling prices.

Deflation has prompted consumers to put off purchases in hope of a better deal.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who came to power last year, has said that triggering inflation was among his top priorities.

Under pressure from the new government, Japan’s central bank, the Bank of Japan, doubled its inflation target to two per cent earlier this year.

Many analysts have said that boosting consumer price growth is key to reviving domestic consumption.

The figures from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry also showed that retail sales in February rose 1.6 per cent from the previous month.

Analysts said that the aggressive policy stand taken by Mr Abe’s administration, coupled with the increased inflation target, had been having a positive impact on consumer confidence.

Argentina has last chance to influence US court in bonds case

W

ITH just hours to go before Argentina has to show its last cards in a billion-dollar debt showdown in the United Staes’courts, President Cristina Fernandez seems to be keeping up her “we’re going for more” motto.

Her government is reportedly preparing a response that analysts say could lead the country into another catastrophic default, Globe and Mail, reports.

Argentina has until last week to propose how it would satisfy a $1.4billion judgment won by plaintiffs who have insisted for a decade on getting full payment in cash, plus interest and penalties, on sovereign debt that the country hasn’t paid since its world-record default in 2002.

Government officials weren’t talking in public about the plan this week, but they have repeatedly said that the plaintiffs it considers “vulture funds” should get no better than what 92 per cent of other investors in Argentina accepted in 2005 and 2010 in exchange for their defaulted bonds: a package of new bonds that were initially worth less than 30 cents on the dollar.

The exact details likely won’t be known until just before the deadline, but the broader aspects have been widely reported in Argentina’s media: Rather than the quick cash payout ordered by the courts, it will offer new bonds that won’t come fully due for up to 25 years. And rather than pay in full, the government will insist on paying no more than 30 per cent to start with.

If true, this would amount to open defiance of the U.S. federal courts,

Wall Street analysts say.

Argentina could keep appealing, but the U.S. Supreme Court has a long record of denying such cases.

And that could be “suicide” for the South American nation’s economy, says financial analyst Josh Rosner, managing director of Graham Fisher & Co. in New York.

“The court was looking for something simple, like: we’re not going to pay them in a lump sum, but we’re going to make a quarterly payment of the full $1.4billion over three years. They weren’t looking for creative financing where Argentina demands or forces a new bond,” Mr. Rosner said. “What if somebody took that new bond, and the Argentine government defaulted the next day?”

Analysts voiced similar worries in Argentina, where defying the “vulture funds” is politically very popular, but economically dangerous.

If the government loses, “Argentina will be forced to decide whether to follow the decision or enter into technical default, a situation that would increase the country risk and deteriorate even more the price of publicly traded shares, as well as drive the parallel dollar even higher. This is not the most auspicious moment to run these risks,” economist Ramiro Castineira concluded after analysing how the government might follow through on its position.

The appellate court already ruled in October in favour of NML Capital Ltd., a hedge fund run by billionaire Paul Singer, basing its decision on the “pari passu” clause

in the defaulted bond contracts, Latin for treating all bondholders equally.

Fine, Economy Minister Hernan Lorenzino has said repeatedly during this appeal: equal means Argentina will pay the plaintiffs no better than what the exchange bondholders got in 2005 or 2010.

Those bondholders have been steadily repaid, recovering much of their original investments over the years. But Argentina is apparently going to insist that the plaintiffs start with no more than what the other bondholders started with years ago, not what they’ve been paid to date, Mr. Castineira said.

“It brings us back to where Monday morning we’re in a crisis because the Argentine government fails to meet its obligations and we’re back to square one. Unless they sit down and make bilateral negotiations, they’re probably headed to default,” Mr. Rosner said.

“I think it will be important for people in Argentina to realize that offering a new bond is totally outside of what the court asked for, demanded or would accept,” Mr. Rosner said. “They have to know that they can’t win this.”

President Fernandez and her economic team are proud of sharply reducing the country’s foreign debt burden, and never failing to meet payments on the new bonds her government issued in exchange for the defaulted debt. But it still owes tens of billions to many other creditors, and until it settles those debts, its economy will be strangled by punishingly high borrowing costs, Mr Rosner said.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

40

Africa Business

First South Sudan oil to reach Sudan in mid-April

S

OUTH Sudan’s first oil exports will reach Sudan in mid-April after resuming production, Sudan’s state news agency SUNA said, citing a senior oil official, according to Globe and mail.

After months of negotiations both African countries agreed earlier this month to resume cross-border oilflows after tensions between them eased.

Landlocked South Sudan, which shut down its entire output in a row with Khartoum over oil fees last year, needs to export its oil through the Sudanese port of Port Sudan.

The first southern cargo would cross Sudan’s border between April 15 and 20 and then go to Port Sudan, Awad Abdel-Fattah, secretary-general in Sudan’s oil ministry,

told SUNA. South Sudan’s oil minister said on March 14 oil firms in the South had been ordered to restart production, which he said would take two to three weeks.

South Sudan was producing about 350,000 barrels per day before it shut down its oil output. Both countries depended heavily on crude exports for state revenues and the foreign currency they use to import food and fuel.

South Sudan seceded from Sudan in 2011 under a 2005 peace deal which ended one of Africa’s longest civil wars but both countries are still at loggerheads over ownership of disputed territories and other issues.

Barclays to add Nigerian bonds to emerging markets index A ship berths near the Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG) company near Finima village in Bonny Island, Rivers State.

Egypt fears bread riots as credit crunch hits key imports

E

GYPT has hit breaking point in its ability to pay for imports of oil, wheat and other basic commodities, forcing it to call in diplomatic favours or seek easy payment terms from suppliers who hope for future advantage in return, says Globe and Mails.

Two years after ousting Hosni Mubarak, new, Islamist leaders are struggling to win a credit line from the International Monetary Funds (IMF) as they try to manage the hopes of 84 million people with a depreciating currency and an economy hooked on state subsidies but starved of tourism revenues since the political upheavals began.

Fuel shortages, tighter security at petrol stations and scuffles in the streets are becoming common in Egyptian towns as state importers struggle to meet demand for diesel and gasoline.

Though Egypt’s strategic importance means world powers seem unlikely to let its economy collapse, the credit crisis is now so acute that it can no longer buy crude in the market, leaving its oil minister scrambling to cut diplomatic deals with Libya, Qatar and Iraq, to add to an existing oil lifeline from Kuwait.

Fearing especially the unrest that might follow a shortage of subsidised bread, the government may prioritise fuel for the food industry. Richard Mallinson, an analyst at Energy Aspects in London said: “The focus is probably on

ensuring farmers get enough diesel ahead of the harvest season and bakeries don’t run out of fuel as this could trigger food shortage.”

Officials have sought to assuage worries on food, banking on a record wheat crop coming in from next month. But it concedes that fuel supplies are a difficulty.

“The major problem we are facing of course is in the fuel sector,” government spokesman Alaa El Hadidi told Reuters. “This is being tackled and there has been gradual improvement.”

However, Egypt has not received a crude oil cargo from open market suppliers since January and, with money tight, the state grain buyer has not purchased wheat since February.

International trading houses Petraco and Arcadia were due to deliver crude after winning a tender, but the state importer, Egyptian General Petroleum Corp. has cancelled both deliveries, several traders said. As a result, refineries are running well below capacity. last week the oil ministry blamed repeated power cuts on a lack of funds to buy fuel for power stations.

Elected last June, President Mohamed Mursi has faced sliding currency reserves, a soaring budget deficit and sometimes violent protests. And all the while, Egypt’s choice of suppliers has been eroded as its credit wears thin.

One government official said

Cairo was casting around for other sources of commodities, and of finance for them. “We are now open to other possibilities and our priority will be to serve our country’s interest and seek the country that gives us the best financial facilities and this could also mean that we are opening up to other markets, including Arab states,” the official said.

Egypt currently survives, hand to mouth, with funds arriving from Turkey, Iraq, most recently Libya and, most generously, $5billion in loans from the ambitious Gulf emirate of Qatar.

“It looks like Egypt is running on a Qatari life support machine,” the head of a major international commodities trading house said. “But that cannot last forever.”

Crucial for the future is the $4.8billion deal Egypt is seeking with the International Monetary Fund and a reduction in massive fuel subsidies, which eat up a fifth of state spending.

However, the government fears the domestic backlash subsidy reform would cause and seeks gentler terms.

While crude oil purchases have been interrupted, Egypt is still managing to buy oil products, like diesel, on the market – but lines of tankers waiting to deliver are common at Egyptian ports as sellers wait for delayed payments before offloading.

IFC acquires 15% stake in Kenyan Islamic Bank for $5m

T

HE International Finance Corporation (IFC) – the investment arm of the World Bank – has acquired 15 per cent shareholding in Gulf African Bank, Kenya’s Sharia compliant bank, for $5 million (Sh425 million).

In addition, a further $3 million (Sh255 million) trade guarantee has been opened for Gulf African Bank under IFC’s global trade finance programme.

According to the Standard Digital News, this IFC programme supports the ability of banks to “deliver trade financing by mitigating risk in new or challenging markets where trade lines may be con-

strained.”

The acquisition of the 15 per cent stake in the bank and the opening of the trade line facility would give the bank’s corporate finance an opportunity of lending to small and medium businesses (SMEs) in the region.

Gulf African Bank said it would use IFC’s financing to boost finance for retail and corporate customers and develop programmes for women entrepreneurs while also extending services to SMEs.

“IFC’s decision to take up a 15 per cent shareholding in Gulf African Bank is a clear indication of their belief not only in our bank’s future but the future of Islamic banking in the region,” Standard Digital News quoted Jamal Al Hazeem, Chairman of Gulf African Bank as saying.

“IFC’s involvement will open up more opportunities for Gulf African Bank’s growth and expansion and enhance our processes. In addition to the IFC partnership, the bank is undertaking a rights issue to increase its capital base by an additional Sh850 million.”

B

ARCLAYS will add approximately $16billion of Nigerian debt to its emerging markets government bond index from today, the bank has said. according to Globe and Mail, 10 Nigerian bonds will be eligible for the Barclays Emerging Markets Local Currency Government Index and the country’s projected weight would be about 0.9 per cent, a spokeswoman said.

Africa’s biggest crude oil producer will become the second sub-Saharan African country after South Africa to enter the index following reforms to improve access to its bond market.

Nigeria, which has one of the continent’s most developed debt markets, was included in the J.P. Morgan Government Bond Index – Emerging Markets from October 1 last year, increasing its appeal to mainstream foreign investors.

J.P. Morgan estimated that Nigeria would attract at least $1.5billion of inflows as a result of the inclusion.

Since October, yields have fallen by more than 200 basis points on some tenors, though they have climbed recently as foreign interest wanes.

The Barclays index is not as widely followed as JPMorgan’s and the im-

pact of the inclusion on yields may be more muted.

“We suspect only a handful of foreign funds investing in Nigeria track the Barclays bond index and that the impact on the long end will be limited from current levels,” said Samir Gadio, emerging markets analyst at Standard Bank. “This is unlikely to generate the same yield compression as experienced with the GBI-EM inclusion.”

However, the inclusion could explain why some bonds have traded moderately stronger in recent days while the short end of the curve sold off, Mr Gadio added.

The yield on the seven-year bond maturing in June 2019, which will be included in the index, fell by 24 basis points to 10.96 per cent.

That on the five-year instrument maturing in 2017, also eligible, declined 41 basis points to 10.81 per cent.

The criteria for joining the Barclays index include market size and accessibility, Brian Upbin, head of benchmark index research at Barclays told Reuters in November, when the bank first announced Nigeria was to become a member.

Qantas-Emirates deal gets final backing from Australia

Q

ANTAS Airways has won a final approval from Australia’s competition watchdog for its partnership with Emirates.

The alliance is seen as key to Qantas’ attempts to turn around its loss-making international operations.

The Australian carrier’s international division has been hurt by slowing demand from key markets, growing competition and higher fuel costs.

The alliance with Emirates, agreed last year, will see the two collaborate on pricing, sales and flight scheduling.

“Qantas is an Australian icon and the future of its international business is much brighter with this partnership,” said Alan Joyce, chief executive of Qantas.

“Customers are already responding very strongly to the joint network that Qantas and Emirates have built, and to the frequent flyer benefits that extend across it, with a significant increase in bookings.”

Qantas has taken various steps to try and revive its international operations, including cancelling flights on loss-making routes, cutting jobs and restructuring some of its maintenance operations.

The efforts helped it narrow losses in the division A$91million

($95million); £63million) in the six months to the end of December, from A$262million a year earlier.

Many analysts have said that a successful alliance with Emirates may help it cut flights further and focus on more profitable routes instead.

They say that with Emirates flying to more than 70 destinations in Europe, any such move would be an easy one to make and would still help Qantas service its customers who fly to those destinations.

Qantas has already said that it will stop flights to Frankfurt.

Meanwhile, the alliance with Emirates will also see Qantas shift its hub for European flights to Dubai from Singapore.

Tim Clark, President of Emirates said the alliance will help connect Australian consumers to major markets.

“This is a truly game-changing partnership that brings together two of the world’s best airlines,” he said.

“Dubai is a leading global hub and through it, our two airlines will connect Australia to Europe, the UK and Northern Africa more smoothly than ever before.”

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said it thought the benefits of the alliance outweighed the drawbacks.

FA CUP QUARTER-FINAL REPLAY:

MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

43

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed spoke with JEREMIAH OKE on the All Progressives Congress (APC), its prospects, manifestos and challenges ahead.

‘APC ’ll fight to the end’ H

OW will the All Progressives Congress (APC) over come the registration hurdle?

Neither the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) nor the merger parties have any precedence to follow. Clearly, in the political history of Nigeria, so far, this is the first time we are having a merger of two or three political parties. What we had before was an alliance. So, with that, we can understand why there is so much misconception, controversy and noise. We are on the right course, on the track. We are following the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in all our dealings. So, we refuse to be intimidated. If political parties want to merge, they will write a letter to the INEC of their intention to merge and in that way, they will be able to reserve their name. There is no provision in the electoral act or constitution, which says we must write a letter of intention or they should reserve a name. However, the relevant provision for merger is stated in the Section 84 of the Electoral Act as amended. It says that, if any two political parties want to merge, they shall give the commission 90 days notice of their intention to do so before the general election.

What it means is that, if you give the notice of your intention to merge less than 90 day before the general election, such a merger cannot be accepted. However, the defining provision in the Section 84, Sub-Section 3 says: “a written request of the merger shall be send to the chairman of the commission jointly signed by the national chairmen, secretaries, and the treasurers of the different political parties proposing a merger and shall be accompany by a special resolution passed at the National convention of the political parties proposing to merge and approving the merger. The proposed full name and the acronym, logo or symbol, constitution, manifestoes and the address of the national body of the party and evidence of payment of the party.

The law is very clear that the party that want to merge, must first consider the consensus agreement that they want to merge. After that they must sit down and decide on the name, the logo, the manifesto and the constitution of the new party and other conditions they want to adopt. After that, they will now go and call for the convention of their various political parties to get a clear resolution because the convention of the party is just like the annual general meeting of the organisation which is the highest body in any organization. Now, from that resolution, you will now write a letter signed by the National Chairman, secretary and the treasurer of the party that they want to merge if the name they agreed upon is not contrary to the law of the land. What we have done is to follow the law to the latter as the issue of the merger is concerned. But we must make a distinction between the process of the registration of a new party and the process of merger because they are two different process and the procedure are very different in the electoral act and they are governed by the constitution of federal republic of Nigeria. In the case of registering a party, you go to INEC and pick a form; you fill the form meanwhile the procedure for merger is more complex than that because it involves more interest, more people than party registration. So, by the provision of the law, it is very easy to ambush or frustrate a merger. People have been asking why we have to blame INEC since we have not written a formal letter before another group signifies interest in the same acronym, which we have adopted. But I tell them that the issue is far from that because on February 6, when we agreed to merge, we held a world press conference, at the press conference, we informed the whole world our intention to merge. We told them that we have adopt the name called All Progressive Congress, and INEC also reacted to it through its spoke person that they have heard that we want to become one political party and we must fulfill all the condition required by law. Although, we have not informed them formally, INEC has the constructive knowledge and our motive on our intention to come together.

APC is made up of three political parties. How can rancor be avoided during the selection of the members of the National Executive Committee of the party?

The first thing we all agreed upon at the first meeting of the merger was that there shall not be any conditionality. The only thing behind this merger is the resolution of the three political parties that we want to rescue and savage this nation from the PDP. Before we entered the merger negotiation, we have agreed that everybody must drop his ambition, ego and self-centeredness to make proper negotiation and that is why it is possible for us in less than six weeks to achieve more than half of the merger procedure. Sincerely speaking, it is not easy for three political parties, which have been competing against themselves in the past 14 years, to come together and form a merger. But we are able to do so because we are more concerned by the future of this nation. For you to know that it

• Mohammed

‘We have drawn the battle line with the PDP government and have you ever seen anybody in the water and complaining of cold? No surrender, no retreat. We are going to fight the political battle till the end to save this nation from the bad governance. The core leadership of ACN can never be intimidated. We are very confident that the people of this nation will also support us till the end because the battle is for them’ is not that easy, we have to set up different committees on constitution, logo, manifesto and even acronym. In six weeks, they submitted their report. It is a phenomenal achievement.

I don’t see myself in this merger because of material gain. So also all other members of the merger. On the issue of who want to be this, who wants to be that, I can assure you that the party will handle it effectively without any rancor, since it is meant to savage this nation.

How can the differences that have marked the parties out be resolved?

We have taken care of that in our manifesto. This manifesto is a product of very intensive consultation by members of the three merging parties. What we did for each committee was that each party nominated five members in the party to be among the different committees and after thorough examination of the different manifestos in the world. They sat down and decided on what is going to be the vision and the focus of APC. In the manifesto, there is something we called a cardinal program of the party, which will be the core program that must be executed by the APC government, either at the federal, state, or local level, irrespective of whether they are from the North, East, or west. For instance, the issue of no tolerance for corruption will apply to every government under the APC. The issue of internal security, protection of lives and properties must apply by all governments under the platform of the party. Youth empowerment will be given priority. Housing and power will also be given priority. After that, each state depending on the peculiar reality and situation will now determine what their people need. For instance; if you talk about ecology, while the problem in the South might be erosion, flooding, the problem in the North could be gully erosion or other problem.

How can APC dislodge the PDP? There is going to be an explosion in the PDP. They are no more on ground. For instance, they held a reconciliation meeting and their key people did not attend. Let me give you some of the headlines: “ Tambuwal, Kwankwanso shun meeting”. “Obasanjo, Oyinlola fail to appear”. ‘In the Southsouth Amaechi walks out of meeting’. I think it is the people that give credibility to the PDP. PDP is imploding. PDP is not what it used to be. The governors in the party are at war with

their chairmen. It was the serious crisis within the PDP that led to the creation of the PDP Governors’Forum. As we are talking now, virtually all the states are having serious crisis with the national secretariat of the PDP. In Ogun State, for instance, they have sacked all the Obasanjo people there. In Adamawa State, Nyako and Bamanga Tukur are at war.The most important thing is that the PDP has been in power for 14 years and they failed to give dividends of democracy to Nigerians. Epileptic power supply, our roads are death trap, mounting youth unemployment, graduate unemployment, kidnapping, Boko Haram insurgency, health centre are death centre. Tell me what will make any rational being to vote for the so the PDP. Do you think our people are not tired of this suffering?

But the PDP is threatening to capture the Southwest...

They have been saying that for a very long time. Obasanjo vacated his sit in 2007 to come and superintend election in Lagos State. In 2003, he did the same thing. Were they able to get Lagos? On the contrary, they lost Ogun, Oyo, Ekiti and Osun. You see their leader should be able to show people that, in my state where I control, this is the thing our people are benefiting. The PDP has nothing to show for it. Let themcontinue to threaten and if they are threatening from today till 100 years to come, our people will never vote for them. Yes, it is true that we are making some rules, policies and laws that may seem to be inconveniencing our people, but look at the long-time benefit of the policy. People are saying that Lagos State banned okada rider, and I asked them, is Lagos State not better than what we used to have in the past, in terms of crime? Lagos State want to add value to my life and your life because they are constructing more roads, buying more busses. Lagos State is not the only State that had banned okada. The aftermath of the BokoHaram in Kano was also responsible for the banning of okada in Kano. We realised that most of the crimes are committed by the okada riders.

Police research has shown that most of the armed robbery is okada -assisted. Two weeks ago, a boy was shot from okada in Lagos State University. I can tell you that we are have responsive governments in ACN and that is why we are there for the people to make their lives more better.

Can APC sustain the tempo to the end?

We have drawn the battle line with the PDP government and have you ever seen anybody in the water and complaining of cold? No surrender, no retreat. We are going to fight the political battle till the end to save this nation from the bad governance. The core leadership of ACN can never be intimidated. We are very confident that the people of this nation will also support us till the end because the battle is for them.

What are the manifestos of the APC? We cover factually all the spares of life. From environment to industrialisation, to housing. We intend to build a million houses in a year. When you create a million houses in a year, you can see that you are creating additional jobs for our people.

We intend to construct 26 killometers of rail every month when the facilities are there on ground. So, we believe that, with a proper leadership, which we want to provide in APC, we can regain our lost glory.

There is this speculation that General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) is going to be the flag bearer of the APC and the former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Tinubu, will be his running mate. How true it this?

Nigeria has the most advanced rumor industry in the whole world and it is so vibrant to the extent that even you the actor on the subject matter will begin to doubt yourself. Like I said before, we entered the merger negotiation without any conditionality, not even the chairman of the party. We are focused on getting the party registered, compiling our manifesto, constitution, logo and other important things. We don’t want to be distracted by the rumor of who wants to be the flag bearer or the running mate. The constitution of our party is very clear on how to choose our leaders. No cause for alarm.

What informed your recent statement that the economy was about to colllapse?

Yes, it is true I said that, if care is not taken, the economy may crash in few years’ time. For instance, in 2002, a barrel of crude oil was four dollars. In 2005, it went to seven dollars. In 2007, it was $12 and today, it is $35. Out of the $35, 16 goes for security. They said Nigeria looses six billion dollars in a year through oil theft and what it gained through the amnesty programme, we are losing to the oil theft. I said Nigeria is not investing in exploration. The discovery of gas and oil is making America less depending on our oil. They came out that what I said was a false calculation and all sorts of things, but the following day, Shell came out to confirm that they looses 60 barrel of oil a day to the oil theft. They said that it is possible that by 2014, America will stop buying oil from us.

Shell has stop production in some areas because of insecurity and oil theft. So, help me ask them who is lying? Is it me or the federal government? Let them come out and tell me they don’t produce at N35 per barrel. This government is always trying to defend what is open to the whole world and the fact is that the economy is not getting better. If the economy is better, why is the level of unemployment increasing by the day?

What is your reaction to the state pardon granted to former Bayelsa State Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha?

No comment.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

44

POLITICS Delta State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship aspirant Navy Commander Uche Onabu (rtd) spoke with JEREMIAH OKE on his ambition, the clamour for power shift in the state and other issues.

Imo State politician Jude Agbaso was impeached as the deputy governor by the House of Assembly last week, following the report of the panel of enquiry, which found him guilty of the allegations of bribery. Agbaso denied the bribery allegations and urged the anti-graft bodies to investigate the matter. JOSEPH JIBUEZE met him in Lagos before the impeachment proceedings.

‘Deltans are tired of PDP’ W

HAT is the political situation in the Delta State?

So far, the People Democratic Party (PDP) has been ruling the state for 14 years, From the era of Chief James Ibori to Dr. Uduagahan.

Currently, Deltans are yearning for a drastic political change This is because our people are fed up with the PDP. Our people need a change and that is why we think that the change cannot come from any other party, except the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), considering the fact that ACN as a party has been able to proved that they can govern very well. We want to replicate what we see in the states like Lagos, Edo, Osun, Oyo, Ogun and Ekiti in our own state. Politically, right now, in Delta, the wind of change is blowing. Everybody is thinking of how to restructure the state in terms of infrastructural facilities, security, industrial development, employment generation, and other areas. But the most important thing is that, if you interview an average man on the street or in the bus or in the market, they will tell you that they are fed up with the PDP, which is just sharing the money, and not using it for developmental projects..

That is the present situation of things in Delta State.

Is the ACN hail and hearty in Delta State?

Yes, we are. So far, we were not the main opposition. Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) is the main opposition in Delta State and that is Great Ogboru’s party, but at the national level, we know that ACN is a strong force. That is why we decided to stay in the party in our state. Personally, I decided to stay and be loyal to the party, despite the fact that I lost against a PDP candidate when I contested for the House of Representatives in 2011. They offered me an appointment in the PDP after the election, but I refused. I stay with the ACN because of the good governance we are preaching to our people and I am still there preaching the good governance gospel. At the state level, our major challenge is funding because the national body of our party did not have trust in Delta State in 2011, but now the elders of ACN and the youths are prepared to restore the party in the state You are a solder. How have you been able to adjust to the civil politics?

As a military officer who has been in the navy, I was privileged to participate in the political life of the country. I was the ADC to the former Lagos State Governor under the Babangida

regime. I was the ADC to Governor Ukiwe and that had exposed me to political life. I was the Security Officer to Ukiwe and Aikhomu. I was also Security Officer to Maduekwe. I was also the Security Officer in Abacha’s office. That exposed me to politics because I was in a key position in the Ministry of Defence for a while. Since I retired, I was also privileged to work with Shell as an adviser. I have been in the fence ,until 2010 when I came home from abroad and that made me to witness the rerun of Ogboru and Uduaghan. That was the event that spot my interest to start having the passion to see what I can do to contribute to governance in my community. That was what led me to participate in the House of Representatives race in 2011. I won the primary with a very wide margin. I won in Warri and other areas. That was what made me the flag bearer of our party, ACN, for the House of Representatives. But unfortunately, when we went for the election, the PDP won. I accepted the victory without going to court. I started preparing for 2015. That was my first time in politics. I quickly adjusted and moved ahead with my life because I have learned how to adjust my political career. That was a good experience for me because it was the first time and it was a baptismal of fire in a political terrain. That exactly is what gives me the confidence to say that I want to come out for the governorship in 2015 to bail my people out of the abject poverty, despite the resources available in the state.

Why do you want to become the governor of Delta state?

Our people need a change.There is a general trend now that the governorship in the state has been zoned to the Delta North, regardless of the party affiliation. Since the state was created 22 years ago, nobody from the Delta North has been governor.

Although, we had two deputy governors; one under Ibru Administration and one under former Governor James Ibori. They both tried their best, but as we all know, they are just political stooges. They could not properly fix the Delta North to the political power control of the state because the Delta Central and the South, which comprise of the Urhobo felt that we have the capital, therefore, no way for us to produce the governor. The late Mrs. Mariam Babangida was able to secure the capital for us.

So, they say they will always produce the governor. That is their mentality.

But we are saying no, it is our turn.

‘My ordeal has to do with 2015’

T •Onabu

Therefore, I believe that this is the right time for us in the Delta North to produce the governor. That is one of the reasons. Secondly, with my experience, my exposure in governance, leadership and management, I think it is time for me to contribute to good governance in my state. Transparency, good governance, disciplined management will bring back our lost glory in the state. The only thing you can see in Delta today is the federal road from Benin to Warri or Benin to Asaba. No other thing. Industries are broken down completely. The little renovation that was done by Ibori, which ought to have continued by Uduaghan, has been stagnated. An average Deltan sees Ibori as a better governor because Ibori was able to provide better infrastructure than Uduaghan who has no plan to improve the standard of living of our people. By 2015, his tenure will end.

He spent 50 percent of his time going to court fighting Ogboru for no reason spending 70 percent of the time fighting the militants. So, by the time we get there in 2015, I am going to focus on proper infrastructural development and bring back the failed industries. For instance; the Asaba textile mill was the best mill industry in Nigeria which can employ over 5000 workers. We had the best football team in those days comparing with the Rangers and other top football clubs in Nigeria. We have the biggest palm oil victory that can employ 7,000 workers. These two industries are dead. So, through these industries, we can create over 12,000 employment for our people and that will reduce crime. Now on the power sector, it is a shame that if you lodged in hotel in Asaba today, you can spend three or more than that without seen the power supply by PHCN. All the banks, industries, companies and even the individuals live on generator. 80 percent of the time in the state, they use generator even in the government house. Meanwhile, when I asked, I find out that we are still generating power from Onisha and we have gas in Delta.

• Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha (right) congratulating the new Deputy Governor, Eze Madumere, after his swearing-in at weekend.

O what can you attribute your current ordeal?

This whole situation is about who will be the governor of Imo State in 2015. If you recall, I had said also that, to my knowledge, there is a subsisting agreement between my elder brother, Chief Martin Agbaso, and the governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, that the governor would run single term tenure. Thereafter, he would hand over to the people of Owerri zone; that he would support someone from there. Every information that is available to me has pointed in this direction. There is effort being made, truly and factually, to tarnish the brand of Agbaso, to preclude it from the forthcoming election in Imo State. That is my honest belief. The heart of the matter is the politics of 2015.

What is the source of your wealth?

Going into government didn’t make me a well-off person. I have very minimal income from the government. If anybody is making such insinuation, it is really sad. It saddens me that somebody would think that. And for your information, I declared my assets before I became the deputy governor. I am open to investigation.

What is the proof that you are innocent?

I have said that these companies must be known at the Corporate Affairs Commission. Therefore, they can be investigated. We are working seriously towards getting that information and making it available. Also, the information about these companies is in the banks. Their information is at GTBank and UBA where they said these sums of money have been paid in.

We’re also making effort to get at them.

What is your reaction to the move by the House of Assembly to impeach you?

I think, ab initio, the Imo State House of Assembly should have caused the investigative authorities and vest them with the relevant information to investigate this matter, to establish a link between me and these companies, to find out and trace where these monies have gone to, and to see if they have gotten into my pocket or if there is any link before they went to town with their accusations.

I know for a fact, as God lives, that eventually we’ll get to the bottom of the matter. It is irrelevant whether the Imo State House of Assembly continues with the impeachment or does not continue with the impeachment. What is paramount in my heart and what is paramount in my head also is to make sure that I clear my name from these false accusations that have been leveled against me. At my disposal are the law courts. At my disposal are avenues of going to the police or relevant authorities to make sure that I get justice.

What is your position on your governor’s romamce with the APC? As I said before, when the APC gets registered as a political party, then the platform will be open to me as it will be open to all Nigerians whether to join or not.

The contractor has maintained that he gave you bribe...

The barrage of misinformation that is being fed members of the public, especially members of my constituency from Imo State is the allegation that I received bribe money from the contract, JPros Nigeria Nigeria Ltd. It has become important that I must continue to state my innocence; that I must continue to tell my side of the story; that I must continue to prove to my people and all Nigerians by extension that I am an innocent that is falsely accused. It is in the public domain now all over the country that I received bribe money from JPros Nigeria Ltd to the tune of N458 million. That is not true.

Who approved the contract?

The contract in question that JPros Nigeria Ltd is executing in Imo State was approved by the Executive Governor of Imo State. It was really negotiated by the Executive Governor of Imo State, my boss, Owelle Rochas Okorocha. While the approval was sought and given, I wasn’t really in the country. The principal secretary to my governor conveyed the direct approval of the contract and payments of the sum of N1.15billion to the Commissioner for Finance, who directed the Accountant General to make payments.

Was due process followed in awarding the contract?

Also, recall that I had stated earlier that the normal process was when such approvals are made, that the money is paid into the coffers of the state Ministry of Works where due processes are now applied. Certificates will be raised. Based on that, vouchers will be raised and application will then be made for the payments to the contractor, instead of what transpired in February of last year where wholesale payment of the entire 100 per cent cost and value of the contract were paid out directly to the contractor. I am not the commissioner who caused that payment to happen. I am not the Accountant General who made the payment directly to the contractor. I am not the Accountant General who paid on verbal instruction of the governor to the contractor. I was then, the Commissioner for Works and Deputy Governor who wrote the contract ab initio for N1.15 billion, and never at any point did I cause this 100 per cent payment or any payment to be made. I only found out that payment had been made to the contractor, four months after the payment had been made.

Why are you being probed, despite the fact that you were not involved in the contract award?

Also, recall that ab initio before the payment of N1.15 billion was made to JPros Nig. Ltd, that a payment of N200 million had been made to the same contractor from the Government House. I did not approve the payment of the N200 million. The payment of the N200 million never came to the Ministry of Works and did not receive my approval. My question, my fellow countrymen remains – for a man who has access to the governor, to the Commissioner for Finance, to the Accountant General of the state who paid him directly – why would he pay me N458 milion which represents a 46 per cent of the total contract sum?

•Agbaso

45

MOTORING THE NATION

MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

Website:- http://www.thenationonlineng.net

Here comes the most potent and technologically advanced Rolls-Royce in history. Wraith is a car for the curious, the confident and the bold. With the power, style and drama to make the world stand still, Rolls-Royce is set to rule the auto world with the Wraith. TAJUDEEN ADEBANJO writes with agency addition.

•Rolls-Royce Wraith

R

OLLS-Royce Motor Cars has officially unveiled its most powerful model yet at the Geneva motor show early last month.

It is the Rolls-Royce Wraith.

The auto giant continued its superb run last week at the New York Auto Show where the Wraith was named Automaker's Most Powerful Car Yet Rolls-Royce made good its promises that the Wraith will be its most-powerful car in the company's 107-year history.

Rolls-Royce revived the Wraith name for its latest model, and, as expected, the vehicle features plenty of style and power.

The Wraith has a twin-turbo V12 engine and 624 Brake horsepower, and the company said it can go from 0 to 62 mph in 4.6 seconds and sports 590 pounds of torque. The Wraith also comes equipped with an 8-speed automatic transmission. Its impressive features include a "satellite-aided transmission" that guides the vehicle's GPS system and helps select the proper gears for making turns.

The Wraith's exterior has two-tone paint, while its interior is full of subtle touches, emphasizing luxury including supple leather and wood paneling that complement a voice-activated valet service.

The car cost more than £200,000 ($300,000) when it goes on sale later this year.

The car was designed to change people's perception of the luxury marquee, Chief Executive Torsten Muller-Otvos told BBC News.

"I'm confident it will attract a lot of new customers to the brand," he said.

The Wraith bears a passing resemblance to Bentley's Continental GT grand touring model, but Mr Muller-Otvos was eager to stress that he did not see it as a rival.

"I wouldn't see the Continental as a competitor, definitely not," he said. "We are operating in a different price segment, well beyond £200,000.

"But I wouldn't be surprised if some existing Bentley customers would buy the Wraith - many people in this segment don't see the Continental as exclusive any more."

Bentley's board member in charge of sales and marketing, Kevin Rose, acknowledged that the two marques are not direct rivals, as its bestselling models start at about £130,000.

"It's partly true, as we're not in the same price categories, but many of both our and their customers have six or seven cars, so many of them will have both a Rolls and a Bentley," he told BBC News.

•Interior of the car

Rolls-Royce unveils new Wraith Advance Technology Wraith debuts the most intelligent drive-train ever to feature in a Rolls-Royce. This is a car that can see into the future.

Satellite Aided Transmission uses GPS data and the navigation system to scan the road. It anticipates what lies ahead, and then automatically chooses the optimum gear on the eight speed transmission. Power is delivered effortlessly so driver can surge through every corner, round every roundabout and into every slip road smoothly.

The new Spirit of Ecstasy Rotary Controller features a touchpad for effortlessly access the internet and music with a swipe of finger or call up contacts and directions simply by 'writing' the characters.

The touchpad also has a 'pull and pinch' function to zoom in and out just as being on a Smartphone. For even more convenience and safety, one can send emails and texts simply by using your voice.

Design presence It is the boldest expression of Rolls-Royce yet.

The striking fastback silhouette exudes elegance and power. The aerodynamic lines and wide rear track reinforce the promise of athletic prowess and dynamism, which is further accentuated by the prominent shoulders.

The compelling design can be further enhanced

by exclusive two-tone paint combinations, which add definition and provide even more opportunity for people to personalise the car to their taste.

Design Presence-Wraith is a Rolls-Royce through and through. The classic 2:1 proportions of the wheel to body height remain, as does the long rear overhang, self-righting wheels centres and signature rear-hinged coach doors.

It pushes all the boundaries of Rolls-Royce.

The vertical grille is recessed by 45 mm to create an air of foreboding, while the twin exhausts are instantly dramatic. Frameless coach doors and the absence of a B-pillar add an elegant touch, and make stepping in and out of Wraith effortless.

Wraith has three new exclusive wheel designs.

A 20" seven-spoke design comes as standard, with 21" seven-spoke and five-spoke part polished, bi-colour choices available as an option.

Power Wraith is the most powerful Rolls-Royce in history. Behind the deep set Pantheon grille sits a potent 6.6 litre, twin turbo-charged V12 engine. Delivering 624 bhp with 800 Nm of torque, it powers from 0-62 mph in 4.6 seconds.

Even with this formidable power, Wraith is every inch a refined Rolls-Royce with electronically controlled air suspension that creates the

signature 'magic carpet ride'.

Interior Open the coach doors and step into an inviting interior that cocoons you from the outside world.

Every detail has been meticulously designed; from the finest Phantom-grade natural grain leather to the soft wool carpets. But this is a car made for driving. Just one look at the blood orange needle tips for the speedometer and power reserve gauge hints at Wraith's agility, speed and refined power.

The spacious four-seat interior has been handbuilt by skilled craftspeople and technicians. For the first time ever, you can choose to have Canadel Panelling; a beautiful open grain wood, throughout the cabin. The veneer is delicately curved around the contours of the door and each piece is orientated at 55 degrees, then carefully book-matched. This creates a perfect mirror image through the centre line of the car.

Touches like the chrome bullet tips to the recessed piping on the seat panel enhance the sense of a vehicle tailored for performance. Yet this is not at the expense of comfort; as one would expect, umbrellas are included in the door frames.

Should a driver wish to add more glamour, 1,340 fibre optics can be sewn into the headliner to create your very own star-filled sky.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

46

MOTORING

Dunlop returns to market D

UNLOP tyre has been reintroduced into the Nigerian market.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dunlop South Africa, Mr Riaz Haffejee was supported by the Head of International Business, Mr Govind Ram during the re-launch at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Somotex Nigeria Ltd was given the franchise to market the product.

Haffejee said the brand was given to Somotex on the strength of the company’s experience, extensive network of distribution channels which are not only spread across the country but has stood the test of time.

He said the company is deploying all necessary assistance to aid expected growth of the brand in Nigeria.

He said: “We are fully committed to supporting Somotex in re-building the Dunlop brand in Nigeria and you can count on us when it comes to putting our full weight behind it. As you can see, the new Dunlop tyre coming into the market is backed with warranty.

This is a sure sign of our commitment to the brand internationally and we

By Tajudeen Adebanjo

shall keep our word always. Our plan is to continually ensure that Nigeria’s iconic brand – Dunlop is back on the wheels on Nigeria roads ensuring safety, better performance and above all value for money”.

Somotex Managing Director Mr Anil Mohinani said the group is ready to re-position the brand back at the top of the Nigerian tyre market where it rightfully belongs. Mohinani said: “We are into this re-launch of the Dunlop brand to first, inform the masses of the new distribution channel in Nigeria – Somotex, secondly to create awareness about the brand re-launch and importantly to let the tyre users know that the product is back with the best offering tyre users can get, which includes quality, safety and low cost per kilometre – all backed up by warranty cards which was launched in the course of this event.”

Vice President of Somotex Mr. Ajay Singh said the company is ready to roll the Dunlop brand into the market through its distribution network which has presence in all

•Mohinani (left) and Opeifa

the regions of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory.

“Our nationwide network of distributorship has been on ground for long time now caring for the needs of the consumers and the addition of the Dunlop brand, a popular brand in Nigeria, is expected to leverage on this,” he said.

Motor Fair to thrill visitors, participants

A

S arrangements for the hosting of the 8th edition of the autofair tagged ‘The Lagos Motor Fair’ and Autoparts Expo continue, intending visitors, exhibitors and participants have been assured of bumper days of serious business and fun.

The fair will hold at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Announcing this, the Chairman of the Organising Committee for the show, Mr. Ifeanyichukwu Agwu, at a press briefing said:“the fair will be a landmark and a benchmark in auto show business in the West African sub-region;’ promising that “all including children are billed to have a rewarding experience.”

Agwu, the Managing Director of BKG Exhibitions Limited, organisers of the show, said almost all the major vehicle manufacturers and dealers in Nigeria are participating at the fair.

By Tajudeen Adebanjo

According to him, notable banks and insurance companies; major oil firms; manufacturers and dealers in auto-accessories have indicated interest to participate in the event.

He said: “Each of the nine days that the fair will last is loaded with activities and events that will make this edition remarkably different and we intend to improve and add on this in subsequent editions.”

On parade shall be unique ranges of automobile products from notable companies from the Asian Continent dominated by Japanese, Chinese and South Korean auto- firms. Also products from Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Kia, Nissan, etc, will be on display.

The European and American Continents will equally be there with products from the stables of Ford, Mack,

Contractor resumes work on abandoned Abuja road

T

HE Diamond Construction Limited has resumed work on the abandoned Gosa dumpsite access road in the FCT, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

A NAN correspondent who visited the site, reports that machines which were earlier removed from the site had returned and that the company’s vehicles were seen moving materials back to site.

NAN also recalls that the 12km contract which was awarded by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) at the cost of N422 million in 2010 to be executed in six months had been abandoned since early 2012.

Mr Kingsley Obiakor, the Group Managing Director of the company told NAN on Thursday in Abuja said the company’s return to site was sequel to FCDA directive that work should resume and with a promise that payment would come subsequently.

Obiakor attributed the delay in the completion of the project to the lack of payment.

According to him, FCDA had paid N112 million as part of its mobilisation fee and no more thereafter.

His words: “We were given this job to execute it for a period of six months and we started work immediately. “ FCDA, after paying us the initial N112 million, have not paid us any more money as approved by the procurement Act. “So, it is not our fault to have stopped work; but today we have resumed again because they have asked us to

come back to site and they have promised to pay.’’

The contractor also said the authorities had accepted to review the work in line with the current price of items in the market.

Obiakor also said that the FCDA was to consider the contract sum due to the encroachment of the rail line corridors on the road project, which was not envisaged while awarding the contract.

“We have sought for a review of the contract in line with the current prices of items in the market, considering that the job was awarded in 2010 and we are now in 2013.

“Another area is the encroachment of rail line corridors on the road project in which the FCDA consultant did not take into cognizance while designing the project,” he said.

Alhaji Ahmed Bello, the FCDA, resident Engineer supervising the project, in a telephone interview, told NAN that paucity of funds prevented the worked from being completed as earlier planned.

Bello, however, gave an assurance that FCDA would ensure quick completion of the job even before the next rainy season.

He expressed the authority’s concern over the 2012 experience where waste evacuation trucks could not access the dumpsite.

NAN recalls that waste evacuation trucks had the problem of accessing the dumpsite during the last rainy season due to bad road, making the evacuation of refuse from the city difficult.

Mercedes, Chevrolet, Volvo, BMW, Skoda etc.

From the home front, PAN Nigeria and National Trucks Manufacturers Limited (NTM) will showcase the latest in their ranges of products.

These products range from personal choice exotic cars, SUV’s, CUV’s, Jeeps, light and heavy duty haulage Trucks, and Buses of various capacities for corporate and mass transit businesses.

Feelers from most of the firms indicate that visitors to the various stands will enjoy lots of goodies. Some have packaged gift items, lucky dips and many other forms of entertainments, which according to sources will last all through the fair.

“Strategically as we did last year, we are laying more emphasis on the Spare Parts sector in this edition. This is as a result of our guided intention to enhance the development of cottage industries in the spare parts sub-sector of the automotive business sector of the economy with the attendant multiplier effects on the economy of the nation.

Our target is to attract many reputable Original Equipment Manufacturers of Spare Parts from across the globe to participate in this edition as well as in subsequent ones,” Agwu said.

In his keynote address, Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation Comrade Kayode Opeifa said the return of the Dunlop brand is good for the country’s economy stating that the state government will be more delighted to have the company building a factory in Nigeria, particularly in Lagos State.

Opeifa invited the SOMOTEX

group to a partnership with the state government in the area of safety and traffic control believing that the company will continue to be at the fore front of good corporate governance.

Sector Commander Federal Road Safety Corps, Lagos State, Nsebong urged road users to pay serious attention to safety on the roads.

T

NRC expresses concern over accidents at railway crossings

HE Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) has expressed concern over the increasing rates of accidents along railway crossings.

The NRC Director of Administration, Dr Aminu Gusau, said while on a courtesy visit to Gov. Mukhtar Yero in Kaduna that the accidents were caused largely due to absence of barriers at railway crossings.

Gusau noted that several lives and properties were being lost daily, and solicited the support of states and local governments to erect barriers along the crossings. “ If a train is coming and a vehicle or pedestrian is also coming, we usually have somebody who would control the traffic and notify incoming cars of the danger ahead. This will help save lives,” he said.

He also attributed the spate of accidents to the erection of structures close to rail lines and non-compliance to traffic rules.

Gusau called on the Kaduna State Government to ratify the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreed between it and the corporation for the supply of diesel to run the state’s mass train transport in the northern district.

The director also appealed to the state government to assist in protect-

ing NRC property against encroachment and vandalism.

He said work on the 250km per hour railway system between Abuja and Kaduna had begun, adding that the Lagos-Ajakouta project and that of Lagos-Kano had been completed.

Responding on behalf of Yero, Deputy Governor Ambassador Nuhu Bajoga, assured the corporation of the state government’s support.

He described the railway transport system as the cheapest and fastest means of transportation, adding that the state government would continue to partner with the NRC to sustain it.

“Railway has touched our lives in the past, when railway died, Kafanchan died.

“We are happy that the government is coming back now with the policy of revamping the railway transport because it has being the mainstream of the transport system in the developed world,” he said.

•From left: Ogun State Traffic Compliance And Enforcement Corps (TRACE) Mowe/Ibafo Unit Commander Ojuoro Olusola; Unit Commander RS2.23 Mowe, Oludare Ogunjobi; Zonal Commanding Officer RS2HQ Lagos, Kabiru Lawal; Division Officer Civil Defence Corps Jide Olajunwon and Zonal Protocol Officer RS2HQ, Olusegun Ogungbemide during the official commissioning of their Refurbished Patrol Vehicles and bikes and the formal flagging off of Easter Special Patrol slated at Mowe Unit Command, Lagos

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

47

COUNTRY CROSSWORD

With ekpoita :funtreatsvilla@yahoo.com / 08138168825

ACROSS 1.German City (6) 3.South American Country (4) 5. Top European City (6) 8. Republic, formerly of Denmark (7) 10. Country, SE of Europe (7) 13. World Power, abbrv.(3) 14. W/A Country (6) 15. Sovereign Entity (5) 16. First Capital of Nigeria (7) 17. Eastern Nigerian City (3)

DOWN 1.Western Nigerian City (5) 2.Where Julius Caesar Reigned (4) 4.Nigerian State (3) 5.Nigeria’s Commercial Capital (5) 6. Central American Country (9) 7. Fmr. US Colony (6) 9. Coca Growing Country (8) 10. Fmr. Unit of USSR (6) 11. Spanish City (6) 12. French W/A Territory (5)

WORDWHEEL Form as many words as you can with the letters in the wheel below.Proper nouns and 2-letter words are not allowed. Every word must use the letter ‘E’.There is a 9-letter word with an ‘orbicular’ meaning hidden in the grid. This is the star word.

SANDS OF TIME DiCaprio kisses co-star Robbie, with bikini-clad babes for ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ reshoots

poetry Smile If you're feeling down, turn your frown upside down.

Put a smile on your face, take the world in your embrace.

Ask for a little help from the man up above.

And remember you have your best friends love.

JUMBLE WORD

-Jessica R. Dillinger

Success The road to success is not straight There is a curve called Failure, a loop called confusion, speed bumps called Friends, red lights called Enemies, and caution lights called Family But if you have a spare called Determination, an engine called Perseverance, insurance called Faith, and a driver called Jesus, you will make it to a place called Success!!

Niderah It takes a whole boatload of blonds to keep up with Leonardo DiCaprio.The “Django Unchained” star, 38, was spotted on a yacht with a crew of bikini-clad ladies on Monday, working on reshooting scenes for his upcoming film “The Wolf of Wall Street.”He even stole a kiss from co-star Margot Robbie, who was clad in a racy gold swimsuit. Rumors swirled last year that DiCaprio and Robbie, 22, have been getting cozy off-screen as well.DiCaprio seemed relaxed in a breezy blue buttondown shirt and white slacks, sporting sunglasses and slicked back hair.“The Wolf of Wall Street,” directed by Martin Scorsese, is a crime drama based on the story of New York stockbroker Jordan Belfort, played by DiCaprio.Belfort was indicted for fraud and money laundering, and led a hard-partying lifestyle before his arrest. The boat that DiCaprio was filming on may have been the movie’s version of Belfort’s ship Nadine, which was originally constructed for Coco Chanel.

Earlier this year, DiCaprio was spotted smooching Miss Universe Kosovo finalist Aferdita Dreshaj, who partied with the “Titanic” heart-throb in Miami.DiCaprio told German newspaper Bild in January that he would like to take a break from acting after he completes “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “The Great Gatsby.”“I would like to improve the world a bit,” the actor said. “I will fly around the world doing good for the environment.”

UNSCRAMBLE THE WORD JUMBLED UP IN THE GRID BELOWTO REVEAL A 10-LETTER WORD MEANING “INVIGORATE”

E T E N HS G N R T

HUMOUR Sense of Responsibility.

A man goes into library and asks for a book on suicide.

Librarian looks him and says, Who will return the book back!

MINI-SUDOKU

Fill in the missing numbers in the grid to ensure that every row, column and 2 by 3 box contains the numbers 1 - 6.

2

1

3

Real Estate Salesman “This house,” said the real estate salesman, “has both its good points and its bad points. To show you I’m honest, I’m going to tell you about both.

“The disadvantages are that there is a chemical plant one block south and a slaughterhouse a block north.”

“What are the advantages?” inquired the prospective buyer.

“The advantage is that you can always tell which way the wind is blowing.”

Chess Playing Dog A man went to visit a friend and was amazed to find him playing chess with his dog. He watched the game in astonishment for a while. “I can hardly believe my eyes!” he exclaimed. “That’s the smartest dog I’ve ever seen.”

“Nah, he’s not so smart,” the friend replied. “I’ve beaten him three games out of five.”

3 5

4 2

1 1

2 4

6

3

2

4

BRAIN TEASER How can you throw a ball as hard as you can and have it come back to you, even if it doesn't bounce off anything? There is nothing attached to it, and no one else catches or throws it back to you.

To conquer oneself is the best and noblest victory; to be vanquished by one’s own Pep Talk nature is the worst and most ignoble defeat. Plato

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

48

With ekpo:funtreatsvilla@yahoo.com / 08138168825 TRAVEL & LEISURE The financial crisis slammed global banking hubs around the world. Were it not for government bailouts, Wall Street, The City and other banking hubs may never have recovered.

The traditional financial powerhouses stand weakened, and others, long hungry to steal their business, are taking advantage.

THE WORLD’’STOP EMERGING FINANCIAL CENTERS

Dubai — a desert financial dream Dubai spent healvily in recent years to position itself as a regional financial center and a player in international finance.

But its debt-fueled, spendthrift ways finally caught up with the UAE member in late 2009; Dubai was forced to take a $10 billion bailout from Abu Dhabi and remains in serious financial trouble

Sao Paulo — it’s just more fun As Brazil emerges as Latin America’s leading economy, investors are increasingly looking to Sao Paulo to play the country and the region. Brazil’s banking sector is relatively underdeveloped and security remains a concern in Sao Paulo, but there’s lots of upside.

Luxembourg — safe and exotic Luxembourg is growing as a financial center because of its Swiss-like secrecy rules, but that could be its downfall.

There’s plenty to find attractive.

Luxembourg’s marketing materials claim “it’s the second largest investment fund centre in the world after the United States, the premier captive reinsurance market in the European Union and the premier private banking centre in the Eurozone.” It’s also the second-

SANDS OF TIME

CROSSWORD

Dizzy Gillespie

largest mutual fund market after the U.S.

Johannesburg infrastructure

—

Sophisticated financial

Johannesburg is poised to be the financial hub of a continent which represents more than 900 million consumers and one of the world’s fastest growing markets.

John Birks Gillespie was born October 21, 1917, in Cheraw, South Carolina, to John and Lottie Gillespie. The last of nine children, Gillespie’s father was abusive and unusually strict and the youngest Gillespie grew up hard and strong. When Gillespie was ten, his father died and left the family in terrible financial trouble. Around this time Gillespie’s English teacher introduced him to music, and he soon joined the school band. At first he played the trombone, but switched to the trumpet after borrowing a neighbor’s and immediately falling in love with the instrument. Over the next several years Gillespie played with local bands—to both black and white audiences— until his family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Gillespie was influenced by Roy Eldridge and played with the big bands of Cab Calloway, Earl Hines, and Billy Eckstine before leading small groups in the mid-1940s.

When Gillespie was in the Frankie Fairfax band in Philadelphia he carried his new trumpet in a paper bag, an act that inspired fellow musicians like Bill Doggett to call him “Dizzy.” In 1989, the year he turned seventytwo, Dizzy Gillespie received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences’ Grammy Award ceremonies. The honor—one of many awarded to the trumpet virtuoso—recognized nearly fifty years of pioneering jazz performances. That same year he received the National Medal of Arts from President George Bush (1924–). Not letting age slow him down, in 1989 Gillespie gave three hundred performances in twenty-seven countries, appeared in one hundred U.S. cities in thirty-one states and the District of Columbia, headlined three television specials, performed with two symphonies, and recorded four albums. The next year, at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts ceremonies celebrating the centennial of American jazz, Gillespie received the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers’ Duke Award for fifty years of achievement.

Although Gillespie’s failing health was due to pancreatic (having to do with the organ that helps digestion) cancer, Gillespie continued to play the music that he loved late into his life. His last public appearance was in Seattle in February of 1992. Gillespie passed away quietly in his sleep on October 6, 1993, at the age of seventy-five.

Pep Talk

FIRST BANK GOES GLOBAL ON BRANDING

ACROSS

DOWN

1. Correspond (9) 2. Pinch (3) 3. Sexual Desire (4) 4. Ourselves (2) 5. Moisture (3) 6. Discourage (4) 10. Expression of Surprise (3) 11. Get with Difficulty (3) 15. Enumerate (4) 17. Bird (3) 18. Taxi (4) First Bank of Nigeria has taken a further step in consolidating its position 20. Father (2) as the leading bank in Nigeria by taking its outdoor branding outside the shores of the country.

SUDOKU Sudoku is simply a game of logic and needs no The banking giant has its beautifully designed billboard displayed at mathematical skills to play. All you are required terminal 5 of the London Heathrow airport in what might be a move to to do is to fill in the blank spaces in the grid to position itself to take advantage of the Federal Government’s vista of ensure that every row, column and 3 by 3 box new investment incentives for potential foreign investors in the country. contains the numbers 1 to 9.

The novel branding move which may well be regarded as country branding, drawing attention not just to the bank but also the country is has the propensity of triggering a new trend with advertising in corporate Nigeria.

Companies all over the world are looking to expand their businesses into foreign markets.

With the dropping of trade barriers and improvements in communication, many firms aspire to go global.

With increasing globalization, MNCs are becoming stateless players, detached from individual nation states.

However, the consumer’s brand evaluation process is a complex one with a number of variables. One key, albeit often ignored, factor is the Country of Origin (COO) of the brand. COO has been an important factor in consumer purchasing decision making.

The FBNbillboard is strategic, given the fact that Nigeria has become the focus for Direct Foreign Investment.

1. Finalised (9) 7. Employ (3) 8. Tear (3) 9. Succeeded (3) 10. Consumed (3) 12. per Unit (4) 13. Bird (4) 14. Beer (3) 16. Imitate (3) 18. Bed (3) 19. Resort (3) 21. Justly (9)

Our ideas like orange plants, spread out in proportion to the size of the box which imprisons the roots.

– Edward Bulwer Lytton

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

49

NEWS Osun Speaker: Aregbesola is an achiever

T

HE achievements of Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola within two years have put the state on the right track of development, House of Assembly Speaker Najeem Salaam has said.

The speaker spoke during a visit to the Aregbesola Campaign Office in Ibokun, headquarters of Obokun Local Government.

He said the governor has made life easier for the people through his six-point integral action plan.

Salaam said the conclusion drawn from the comparison of the present and past

administrations will have a great effect on future elections.

The speaker, who met with some traditional rulers in the area, said the Aregbesola administration will fulfill all its electioneering promises, adding that there is no council or community where the government’s impact has not been felt.

He said the building of the campaign office in the area would strengthen the Action Congress of Nigeria’s (ACN’s) hold there.

Responding on behalf of the traditional rulers, the Owa-Oye of Imesi Ile, Oba Adelola

Adeyemi, acknowledged the transformation of the state by the Aregbesola administration.

He urged the government to focus more on grassroots development.

The Assistant Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of Governor, Mr. Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, thanked the Speaker for visiting the campaign office.

Oyintiloye pledged the support of the people of Obokun to the administration.

He urged ACN members to continue to mobilise people for Aregbesola’s reelection.

•Ekiti State Governor’s wife Bisi Fayemi teaching Primary four pupils of SUBEB Model Nursery and Primary School, Ikole-Ekiti, reading and methods of assimilation of knowledge the ‘Reading Parents’ –– an initiative of State Universal Basic Education Board.

NEMA urges media to educate Nigerians on floods, others

T

HE National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has urged the media to educate the public on the need to heed the warnings of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) on impending heavy rains with their attendant floods and other natural disasters.

The agency noted that the media wield a lot of influence in disaster alleviation and management.

Its Southwest Zonal Coordinator, Mr. Iyiola Akande, spoke in Lagos at a workshop for reporters on the essence of the media in crisis situations and how to avoid aggravating such situations with news reports.

Akande noted that the media, by their role to the society, enjoy public confidence.

The NEMA coordinator, therefore, urged the media, being stakeholders in emergency management, to enlighten the public on the need to vacate disaster-prone areas to avert crises.

He said the nation will not experience the magnitude of last year’s floods because the disaster was caused by the opening of dams in neighbouring Cameroon without prior warning to Nigeria.

Akande added: “I do not foresee the 2012 flood happening in the next 60 years. Part of the reasons for the huge floods recorded in 2012 in some parts of the country was the release of a large volume of water by Cameroon and Niger Republic without prior information.”

The guest lecturer and Sunday Editor of ThisDay, Mr Tunde Rahman, spoke on: Emergencies, Humanitarian Action and the Crisis Triangle.

The journalist noted that the media, humanitarian organisations, and government

By Precious Igbonwelundu

policymakers make up a crisis triangle.

He hailed NEMA for organising the workshop, adding that the media have become a major humanitarian actor in framing how governments formulate policies and how humanitarian action is mounted.

Rahman urged journalists to always ensure accuracy of their reports and avoid escalating the burdens of disaster victims by publishing obscene photographs or using terrifying descriptions.

The editor advised reporters to also show human feelings towards the plight of disaster victims in the course of their duty.

He said: “Journalists have to be humanitarian. Yes, it is understood that you have to do your jobs, but nothing stops you from giving a helping hand in a crisis situation while doing your jobs. Also, there is need to be interested in postdisaster reporting, to know how the victims of disasters are faring months or years after.

“But while the growing role of the news media is widely acknowledged, the dynamics of interaction with government policy makers and humanitarian bodies have received little scrutiny till date.

“For instance, governments do not only make policy but also have their own implementing humanitarian agency, which is NEMA, in our country. Many governmental and private humanitarian organisations seek to influence the processes and results of public policy formation. Again, all implementing agencies are subject to decisions reached by policy makers. Policy makers

and implementing agencies as well as their actions could be subject to media scrutiny.

“In carrying out their functions, individuals from all the three groups seek contact and cooperation with one another.

Governments are concerned with decision-making that serves national interests. Humanitarian organisations are concerned with implementation and serve the victims of conflicts and disasters. The media are concerned with reporting crises and responses and serve their consumers, their readers, viewers and advertisers.

“The objectives of the three ordinarily should be humanitarian. I agree. But I dare say that none of the groups – including any humanitarian organisation – has objectives that are exclusively humanitarian. Their distinct functions may be clear but their distinct interests, structures and limitations, relative to humanitarian action, are not.

They remain at best vague.

“If properly harnessed, the efforts of the media can have significant and positive effects on disaster management. The media have an impact on humanitarian action in high-profile crises: that impact appears to be greater than the impact of humanitarian actors on the media.

“The imbalance reflects a variety of factors, including the lack of coordination among humanitarian groups and the lack of individual and corporate strategies for relating to the media as an institution.

“The media can partner humanitarian organisations but such organisations must know how to relate to the media by providing information to the media and carrying the media along.”

•Comfort Olorunwa Omosehin and Olatunji Sofidiya cutting their wedding cake in Lagos... at the weekend.

PHOTO: OMOSEHIN MOSES

•Mrs. Ifeyinwa Nwonwu (left); Mrs. Yemi Onakoya; Mrs. Ronke Oso; Bukky Ejiwunmi, an architect; Mrs. Nife Coker; Dr. Yemi Sofola and Mrs. Laide Smith –– officiating ladies at the Mothering Day celebration at the chapel of Healing Cross, Idi Araba, Lagos.

Eatery introduces product

A

•L-R: Head, Training, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr. Kadiri Olanrewaju; Mr. Rahman; Head of News, Cool Fm, Esther Oyegue and Mr Akande at the workshop in Lagos.

FRICAN Quick Service Restaurant (QSR)- Chicken Republic is repositioning its outlets with the introduction of a new delicacy it identified as “spicy crunch”, the organisation’s Head of Marketing and Public Relations, Mrs. Susan Rotimi has said.

She told reporters at a news conference at Bode Thomas, Surulere outlet of the firm that spicy crunch chicken is seasoned to perfection to add value to customers’ patronage.

“Chicken Republic is committed to developing best-inclass ambience that offers customers more than an eating experience. This is the way we are living our commitment to help-

ing our customers get more out of life”, she said.

Mrs. Rotimi explained that the new delicacy was part of the ongoing market repositioning strategy aimed at serving the consumers better.

She added that Chicken Republic will continue to offer soulful, African spiced chicken in a world-class modern environment, saying “we realise the importance of constantly raising quality and standards in order to improve customer satisfaction.”

Rotimi added: “We’re inviting guests to take advantage of our irrisistable limited time offer to try our Spicy Crunch chicken. Customers can enjoy a

Spicy Crunch combo with rice at an incredible price of N600".

She said the company has recorded a 70 per cent increase in sales year on year of revamped stores, a development which is said to be the result of the fresh modern ambience the revamped restaurants offer.

On the repositioning of the outlets and the introduction of a new delicacy Spicy Crunch, Mr. Kofi Abunu said it was part of the move to satisfy customers. Noting that the consumer is at the centre of everything the company is doing, he assured that the eatery was out to make life better for both the customers and other stakeholders.

50

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

91st KANO STATE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING

O

n Wednesday 27th March, 2013 (14th Jumada Awwal, 1434 AH), the Kano State Executive Council held its 91st Sitting under the Chairmanship of Governor Engr. Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso, FNSE. Fifty-nine (59) memoranda were submitted by ten (10) MDAs for deliberation by Council among which thirty-eight (38) were approved for execution with ten (10) of them being on policy issues while twenty-eight (28) have financial implications to the

aggregate sum of Nine Hundred and Twenty Eight Million, Eighty Four Thousand, One Hundred Seventy Six Naira Ninety Kobo (N928, 084,176.90). Thus: 1. MINISTRY OF EDUCATION Two (2) memoranda were submitted for deliberation by the Council from the Ministry of Education. Both were approved for execution as follows: a) Presentation on Progress Report (November, 2012 to March, 2013) from Kano State Agency for Mass Education:This administration realizes the significance of investing in human capital through the provision of education. Investing in human capital is in political-economic sense very much the same as investing in nonhuman capital, such as machines, structures, equipment and other material capital. Just as investment in nonhuman capital is expected to generate efficient and profitable outcome in business circles, so is the huge investment in human capital expected to augment the capacity of the State labor resources. This clearly explained the huge investment being made by the present administration in the education sector. In addition, to the support given to the formal education sector through the provision of more classes, equipment and instructional materials, the informal sector is not left unattended. This brings us to the purpose of this memorandum submitted by the Agency for Mass Education.

The Kano State Agency for Mass Education is among the commendably productive Parastatals of the Ministry of Education known to champion adult education delivery of desired quality. Contents of this memorandum presented details of the activities/performance of the Agency in the period November, 2012 to March, 2013.

Essentially, the Agency for Mass Education has a total of 638 Staff of which 271 are permanent and pensionable while the majority of 367 are on part-time engagements. The main activities were highlighted in the report to include the following: " Mass Literacy Classes " Conventional Literacy and Vocational Programs. " Monitoring " Public Enlightenment " Mass Literacy Campaign Progress and achievements were presented along with problems and future plans in the report. The Agency indicated that thousands of prospective students were registered and admitted while hundreds of classes were established and those in existence were renovated throughout the length and breadth of the State with the support of the Local Government Councils.

Briefly, this administration has awarded the renovation and drilling of boreholes in Albasu, Bagwai, G/Dutse, Fagge, Garko and Gaya, Gwarzo, Kiru, Kwankwaso, Kano City, G/Albasa, Minjibir, Bichi, Dambatta, Gezawa, R/Gado, Rano and Wudil Women Centers worth million of Naira.

The Agency expressed its gratitude to the Government for the support and encouragement granted to it at all times. Council assured that more moral and financial support would be given to the Agency to tackle the problem of mass literacy in fulfillment of this administration's commitment towards educating the citizenry to put an end to ignorance. It is in this realization that the administration made available the sum of over N500 million since inception to the Agency to double its efforts in educating those not opportune to attend formal schools. This is beside the more than N100 million expended in the procurement of vehicles and renovation of the Agency Headquarters and other Centers to facilitate the admission of students in the 44 Local Government Areas. Council is therefore, calling the attention of the citizenry to join the program for the tremendous benefits they can derive.

In fact, the knowledge to be acquired through this program would be beneficial not only to the attendee, but to the State in particular and the nation in general. Through mass literacy, one is expected to improve his capacity to be productive to the society, thereby improving the quality of the State's labor resources. The Agency is directed to facilitate the absorption of the graduates into the formal post-primary institutions. The Agency should provide necessary facilities for their advancement by assisting them to either sit for the West African Examination Council (WAEC) or National Examination Council (NECO) examinations, or join some vocational training institutes.

This administration has set up machinery to assist Mass Education graduates who qualify for admission into tertiary institutions in and out of the State to be given an automatic scholarship. b) Report on Constituency Projects, 2009 under the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB):This administration has inherited numerous abandoned and uncompleted projects most of which were awarded at the tailsend of the immediate past administration. Major road constructions were awarded, for example, after the release of the 2011 election results with a new Government coming in. This kind of action was meant to tie the incoming administration's hands by committing it to a contractual agreement it was not privy to. This is in addition to over N70 billion unpaid bills left by the same administration for contracts awarded, workers and pensioners' benefits. However, with prudence this administration has almost completed the abandoned major road contracts, such as Murtala Muhammed Way by Daula Hotel, Abdullahi Wase Road, Bank Road, Darmanawa- Yan tsaki Road, Independence Road, Mandawari-Aminu Kano Way, MandawariKwanar Goda Way, etc. In fact, in the process of renegotiation with the contractors a saving of over N700 million was made from the initial contract sum agreed upon by the past administration. However, it was not on road construction alone that this Government met abandoned projects. Even in the education sector, numerous projects were left unattended by the immediate past administration in spite of the fact that the leading figures of the regime were being seen as educationists.

The State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) submitted a memorandum to the Council in response to its directives to verify Constituency projects approved for execution in 2009 under the Board.

Reportedly, SUBEB Officials visited/inspected all the 24 Constituency projects contract sites in six (6) LGCAs comprising Gwarzo, Gezawa, Fagge, Municipal, Tarauni and Bunkure. Specifically, the visits revealed that: " Twenty (20) projects were satisfactorily completed to 100% level but were not settled by the immediate past administration. " Three (3) projects are still uncompleted (abandoned at various stages). " Work did not commence at one (1) project site though changed from the original. " Only 30% mobilization fee was paid to respective contractors. " The twenty (20) Contractors that completed their work are still owed 70% balance payment to the tune of N52, 353,394.17.

As such, SUBEB requested Council to approve the release of the sum of N52, 353,394.17 to enable settlement of outstanding payments to twenty (20) Contractors that have respectively completed their work.

Approval was granted by Council for the release of the requested sum of N52, 353,394.17 to enable payment of 70% balance for Constituency projects (2009) under SUBEB executed by twenty (20) Contractors while directing the remaining Contractors to go back to site within the next two weeks.

2. OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY TO THE STATE GOVERNMENT Office of the Secretary to the State Government submitted thirty two (32) memoranda for deliberation by the Council on behalf of some MDAs. Twenty-two (22) of them were approved for execution as follows: a) Presentation of the Status of Amana Taxi Empowerment Scheme as at February, 2013:Contents of this memorandum reminded Council of the establishment of the Amana Taxi Empowerment Scheme in June, 2012 with the aims of alleviating poverty and providing efficient and convenient means of carriage/movement of people within the Metropolis. Part of the requirement was to acquire and organize a fleet of vehicles to float the Scheme, which was done as follows:

S/N i. ii.

Make of Vehicle Golf, Vectra and Buses Opel Vectra

Number 766 526

iii.

Buses

155

iv. v.

Cars and Buses Taxis (Painted)

731 35

Source Purchased directly by Government Allocated by the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport Allocated by the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport Collected and allocated Not allocated

The whole essence is to squarely address the problems of commuting in the State and create employment / jobs for the teeming citizenry by leasing out these vehicles to Kano State indigenous youths who are required to repay within a period of two (2) years through two recommended selected banks, which include FCMB and GT Banks respectively.

Council was presented with eight (8) salient issues on the Scheme for consideration as follows: " That the Scheme took off with 1,500 vehicles comprising 1,000 Volkswagen (Golf) and 500 Toyota Hiace Buses. " That the total number of vehicles leased out to Kano State indigenous beneficiaries is estimated at 776. " That the Unit Cost per Taxi to the Scheme is N750, 000.00 while that of a Hiace Bus is N1, 420,000.00. " That the beneficiaries hardly keep to the obligation of making the usual weekly payments/deposits of N8, 000.00 and N16, 000.00 respectively. " That the total recovery made since inception of the Scheme in June, 2012 as submitted by the two (2) banks (FCMB and GTB) were put at the total sum of N15,942,000.00 only. " That at the rate the recovery efforts are carried out without the effective supervision and control of an established structure/ authority it will be difficult for the Scheme to sustain itself. " That an established structure/authority should be put in place to monitor the recovery efforts as well as ascertain the exact number of vehicles converted to personal use and proffer appropriate measures/actions to be instituted to bring to book those found wanting. " That the structure to be put in place should devise an effective means of regulating the operations of the Scheme in line with standard procedure. Emphasis must be placed on the recovery of those vehicles diverted as well as obtaining Insurance Cover for all the vehicles in the fleet.

So, Council was solicited to approve the following; i. Establishment of a Structure/authority that would organize the operations of the Scheme along Standard procedures. ii. Additional banks with a network of branches spread all over the 44 LGCAs should be involved so as to ease the burden encountered in making deposits/repayments. iii. Establishment of a Technical Committee with membership drawn from the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport to proffer modalities for better management of the Scheme.

Council appreciated the presentation. b) Request for funds to facilitate effective regulation of the activities of Traditional Medicine Practitioners in the State:The Ministry of Health submitted a request for the release of the sum of N3, 017,120.00 to undertake a Statewide Registration Exercise of Traditional Medicine Practitioners.

Credence for the request emanate from the need to identify this category of Health providers put at the estimated figure of over 20,000.

Advantages abound in executing the registration exercise, which include the following among others: i. The exercise provides forum of communication and sharing of knowledge and ideas in the field of medicine generally. ii. Government's understanding of the extent of patronage enjoyed by the Traditional Medicine Institution.

iii. The exercise opens up an additional source of revenue to the State through taxation put on the activities of the Traditional Medicine Practitioners.

The request was endorsed and recommended for positive response by Council so as to effectively regulate the activities of Traditional Medicine Practitioners as was done to general practitioners in general orthodox medicine/drug handler.

Council considered and approved the release of the requested sum of N3,017,120.00 to the Ministry of Health to undertake the registration of Traditional Medicine Practitioners exercise. c) Submission of the list of admitted Kano State indigenous Students into the Northwest University, Kano Seeking for Government Scholarship/Sponsorship to Enable them Register for Various Academic Programs:Authorities at the Northwest University, Kano submitted the list of admitted Kano State Indigenous Students into the Institution seeking for a Government Scholarship / Rabi’u Musa Kwankawaso Sponsorship to enable them to register for various Academic Programs. The Chairman Implementation Committee of the Northwest University, Kano, endorsed the list.

Contents of this memorandum reminded Council of the policy pronouncement of the sum of N75, 000.00 as the approved School/ registration fee for Northwest University, Kano. People complained due to their financial status and difficulty in affording the approved sum in respect of their wards. Typical of the present administration under the Leadership of Governor Engr. Rabi'u Kwankwaso, FNSE, Government declared its willingness to assist Students/Parents adjudged by objective criteria to be genuinely in a situation of inability. As such, the Implementation Committee of the University defined criteria for collating information on/from the affected segment of the society with a view to facilitating further scrutiny and verification by the Government.

Accordingly, a public announcement was aired and the affected Students were invited for documentation between Monday 4thFriday 8th March, 2013 using the defined criteria in which the Candidates' Primary and Secondary Schools Certificates were screened and all relevant information gathered.

Among the total number of 178 that turned up for the screening exercise, 158 satisfied the first stage of the screening which was only based on nature of Primary and Secondary Schools attended. The second stage requires verification of the candidates' respective family income/background for which the Implementation Committee of the Northwest University, Kano requested for assistance/ scholarship to the 158 Students that satisfied the first stage of the screening (as presented) upon further verification by their respective LGCAs of Origin.

Council noted, considered and directed the Ministries for Special Duties and Higher Education (Scholarship Board) to interview the applicants. d) Request for funds to facilitate the purchase and allocation of two (2) Toyota Hilux Double Cabin Pick-Up for the Office of the Auditor General for the Local Governments:The requested sum of N13, 900,000.00 was approved for release by Council to the Office of the Secretary to the State Government to enable the purchase and allocation of two (2) Toyota Hilux Double Cabin Pick-up to the Office of the Auditor General for the Local Governments.

The request was considered in line with the mandate conferred by relevant regulations on the Office of the Auditor General. More so now, as Council was intimated of need for means of transportation by the said Office so as to ease movement in conducting the annual review of financial transactions of the 44 Local Government Councils/Local Education Authorities as well as the validation of accounts submitted by the Local Government Councils. e) Request for funds to enable the conduct of Quality Assurance Step-Down Training and Carry out External Evaluation of Basic Education Schools in the State:The State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) submitted a request for the release of the aggregate sum of N40, 040,550.00

by Council to enable the conducting of Quality Assurance Step-Down Training and carry out External Evaluation of all Basic Education Schools in the State.

The decision by the Board to carry out the proposed endeavor resulted from the need to actualize resolutions of the 54th National Council on Education (NEC) meeting held at Katsina State in 2007. Recommendation and approval for change was proffered from the old system of inspection to a new one called "Quality Assurance".

So, the Board proposed to conduct the Quality Assurance Step-Down Training for 7,248 Staff covering all the State and Zonal Inspectors, all supervisors across the 44 Local Government Education Authorities as well as Head Teachers of Basic Education Schools in the State. The sum of N28, 771,550.00 was estimated/projected to cover the Cost for the purpose.

On the other hand, after the training exercise, all the State and Zonal Inspectors (External Evaluation) will carry out external evaluation visitations to all Basic Education Schools in the entire State. This exercise was estimated/projected to require financial commitment to the tune of N11, 269,000.00.

Approval was granted for the release of the sum of N28, 771,550.00 to enable the conducting of Quality Assurance Training by SUBEB as the project is in line with the policy of the present administration to ensure good and effective Service delivery especially in the Education Sector. f) Presentation of the need to convene a Development Donor Conference in Kano State:The Honorable Commissioner for Planning and Budget advised Government, through the contents of this memorandum on the need to commence preparation for the Development Donor Conference in Kano State. In fact, since inception this administration has an open door policy on the issue of collaborating with Governmental and Non-Governmental Agencies towards the development of the State. Staging the Conference would open up opportunities for the State to solicit for additional donor support through the 'Donor Development Basket'. Thus, Council approved the proposal submitted for the staging of Development Donor Conference for the State to achieve its development agenda as envisioned under this administration. Council appreciated the open support of DFID for its readiness to provide experts to assist in the preparation of the Conference. g) Request for funds to enable the procurement of Uniforms for VIOs and the training of 150 newly employed ones:Contents of this memorandum submitted by the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport notified Council of the need to provide Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIOs) with new sets of uniforms after eight (8) years without such good gesture from the previous administration.

Specifically, the State has only 65 serving VIOs but employment of additional 150 was successfully conducted by the Civil Service Commission as mandated by Executive Extract NO. SSCA/CA/EX/4/1/568 for the enhancement of safety on our roads and meet the challenges of the present-day traffic situation.

The Ministry requested Council to approve the release of the sum of N4, 957,000.00 to enable the provision of two (2) new Sets of Uniforms to 215 VIOs (65 old + 150 new) and facilitate the training/induction of the newly employed into the service. The expenditure was segmented as follows: " Uniforms (2 sets) for 215 Officers N3, 827,000.00 " Training of 150 Officers N1, 130,000.00 " Total N4, 957,000.00 Council noted, considered and approved the release of the sum of N4,957,000.00 to the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport to facilitate the stated purposes. h) Request for funds to facilitate Turn-Around-Maintenance of 15/18 Tons Blenders at KASCO Fertilizer Blending Plant Complex, Dakata:The KASCO Blending Plants at Dakata require turnaround maintenance for which the sum of N4, 491,900.00 was requested for release by Council to the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport to undertake. Such blending plants are the production facilities used in the blending of fertilizer continuously distributed to farmers for agricultural production.

Council noted, considered and approved the release of the sum of N4,491,900.00 to the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport to enable the conduct of the turnaround maintenance. i) Request for funds to facilitate payment of furniture allowance to 78 Magistrates of the State:Office of the Secretary to the State Government submitted the endorsed request from the Hon. Attorney General/Commissioner for Justice, through the contents of this memorandum, that sought for approval by Council for the release of the sum of N9, 750,000.00 to enable the payment of furniture allowances to 78 Magistrates of the State as was recently done to their counterparts (Shari'a Court Judges). This gesture is repeated every four years to this category of Staff. Council approved the release of the requested sum of N9,750,000.00 to the Ministry of Justice to enable the payment of a furniture allowance to the Magistrates. j) Request for funds to enable the repairs of Tukuntawa Entrance Bridge:The State Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport tabled to Council a letter received from the Tukuntawa Focus Association of Sharada Ward in Kano Municipal LGCA requesting for Government assistance/intervention in repairing the Tukuntawa Entrance Bridge.

Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport reported having dispatched a team of Engineers to assess the affected bridge/area with a view to proffering a proposal for the repair works. The team reported that, the hydraulic structure was not a bridge but rather a "block work drain" that crossed the road covered with reinforced concrete across slabs provided to enable access. The slab failed and a metal plate was provided as temporary measure perhaps by the communities to enable crossing/passage.

The Engineers recommended the removal of the affected section of the drain that crosses the road and replaced it with a single cell ring culvert, repairs of the existing earth road from the main road (Gidan Zoo to Sharada) and reconstructing the block side drain along the road. A provisional BEME on the scope of works was prepared to the tune of N4, 430,463.29. Council approved the execution of the project at the sum of N4, 280,037.30. k) Request for funds to enable the continuation of the publicity, sensitization and mobilization activities for the 1st Quarter of the Year 2013:Office of the Secretary to the State Government submitted a request, on behalf of the Office of the Special Adviser Community Reorientation Council (CRC), through the contents of this memorandum, for the release of the sum of N10,613,437.80 to enable the continuation of the publicity, sensitization and mobilization activities of the CRC for the first quarter of the 2013. The programs/ activities are planned/proposed to be aired on Radio Kano, ARTV, Radio Freedom, Pyramid and Rahama Radio Stations as well as Arewa Studio, Al-Sadeq Productions and A4 Communications Ltd. The request was considered relevant and Council approved the release sum of N10, 613,437.80 to the Office of the Special Adviser CRC to enable the continuation of the sensitization program (CRC). l) Request for funds for the Justice Sector Reform (Code 32000 Justice Sector Reform):Office of the Attorney Government/Hon. Commissioner Ministry of Justice submitted a request for the release of the sum of N15, 000,000.00 to facilitate the activities of Justice Sector Reform Team. The team was constituted as a forum where Justice Sector issues are jointly discussed by representatives of Justice Sector related Institutions. The forum identifies challenges that impede administration of Justice, consider and proffer solutions thereto. Activities of the Justice Sector Reform team are supported by DFID. Essentially, seven (7) strategic objectives have been identified by the team in its action plan for which the requested N15, 000,000.00 will be utilized. Details were presented to Council which substantiated credibility of the request.

So, approval was granted for the release of the requested sum of N15, 000,000.00 to the Ministry of Justice to enable the Justice Sector Reform Team conduct their activities. m) Presentation of third (3rd) Progress Report by the Committee on House Numbering/Street Naming:The Committee on House Numbering/Street Numbering politely reminded Council of its approval for the release of the sum of N356, 874,563.34 to the eight (8) metropolitan LGCAs to cater for the printing of data forms, folders, embossed plate numbers for houses

51

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013 and street name stand, etc. for the second phase of the entire exercise. Only 1/3 of the approved sum of money was released, which warranted printing of only 1/3 of the total forms and folders needed.

The Committee presented highlights of its activities, via the contents of this memorandum, indicating its constraints and challenges especially on finance for which it solicited for approval of the release of the aggregate sum of N319, 028,097.14 to enable the continuation of the house numbering/street naming at the eight (8) metropolitan LGCAs. Council noted and considered the presentation and approved the release of the requested sum of N319, 510,083.00 to the eight (8) metropolitan LGCAs to enable the house numbering/street naming Committee continue with its activities. n) Appointment of Key Management Officials for the recently established Kano Roads Maintenance Agency (KARMA):Kano Roads Maintenance Agency (KARMA) has been established by the present administration under the Leadership of the second incumbency of Governor Engr. Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso, FNSE with the aim of proper coordination of road maintenance in the State. What remains is the appointment of key management officials. Four (4) positions were recommended by the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport, which include the posts of the Managing Director, Director Operation, Director Research and Planning and Secretary/Legal Adviser.

Council approved the appointment of the following seasoned and accomplished personalities on merit to assume the recommended managerial positions. Thus; " Managing Director - Engr. Abubakar Muhammad Jibrin " Director Operations - Engr. Idris Wada Saleh " Director Research and Planning - Engr. Yahaya Yussuf " Secretary/Legal Adviser - Ma'aruf Mohammed Yakasai o) Request for funds to enable the procurement of working materials to evacuate debris dumped which blocked major drainage/ walkways along Kofar Nassarawa to Kasuwar Rimi Road:The Senior Special Assistant on Drainage/Chairman Drainage Committee submitted a request, through contents of this memorandum for the release of funds or working materials for the committee to perform its function. This is in order to enable evacuation/ clearing of debris dumped on drainages/water ways leading to blockages along Kofar Nassarawa to Kasuwar Rimi Road in Kano Municipal LGCA. Genesis of the request was in response to a series of complaints received by the Committee on the issue.

Council approved the requested sum of N595, 800.00 to cater for provision of working materials (N197, 000.00), Food/other items (N118, 800.00), Labor (N280, 000.00).

3. MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION Two (2) memoranda were submitted for deliberation by the Council from the Ministry of Higher Education. Both of them were approved for execution as follows: a) Report of the payment of Students Allowances for 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 Academic Sessions:The Honorable Commissioner for Higher Education submitted the report of payment of Students' Scholarship allowances for 2009/ 2010 and 2010/2011 Academic Sessions to Students studying in various Higher Institutions in the Country.

Council was reminded, by the contents of this memorandum, of its approval granted for the release of the sum of N397, 398,760.00 to enable the payment of Scholarship allowances by the State Scholarship Board. The payment exercise was successfully conducted by the Executive Committee set up for the purpose.

During the payment the sum of N1, 499,800.00 was returned as unclaimed from the total sum released for the settlement of the allowances. Nevertheless, a shortfall of N5, 619,604.00 arose due to the inadvertent omission of some students by the Board. The Board utilized other sources to settle the allowances of those omitted and applied for refund from the Government. Council approved the following: i. The return of N1, 499,800.00 to the Government Treasury by the State Scholarship Board. ii. Release of the sum of N5, 619,604.00 to refund the sum utilized to settle the allowances of those omitted. b) Request for funds to enable the conduct of the 3rd Convocation Ceremony of Kano University of Science and Technology, (KUST), Wudil:This memorandum informed Council on the need for the release of N25 million for the upcoming third convocation of the Kano University of Science and Technology, Wudil. This institution was established under the guidance of the informed foresight of Governor Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso, FNSE during his first tenure.

The request was considered credible by Council, which did not flinch in granting approval for the release of the sum of N25, 000,000.00 to the Ministry of Higher Education to enable the authorities at KUST, Wudil conduct the 3rd Convocation Ceremony of the University on Friday 19th through to Saturday 20th April, 2013.

4. MINISTRY OF WORKS, HOUSING AND TRANSPORT This Ministry submitted eight (8) memoranda for deliberation by the Council. Five (5) of them were approved for execution as follows: a) Request for funds to facilitate the continuation of Demountable Aluminum Partitioning at the 6th Floor, Relocation of Libraries and General Readjustments at the Temporary Site (Gidan Ado Bayero) of Northwest University, Kano:Establishment of the Northwest University, Kano is a foregone issue with the admission of 1000 students and the beginning of academic courses. What obtains now is to make the endeavor work. So, the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport reminded Council, through contents of this memorandum, of what informed the award of the Contract on the ongoing Aluminum Partition works at the temporary site of the Northwest University, Kano. Other works became necessary/essential which calls for additional partitioning of the 6th floor, relocation of Electronic and Conventional Libraries as well as general adjustments of all floors for suitable conversion into faculties and signage within the building.

The Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport evaluated and assessed the extent of works required and prepared Bill of Quantities to the tune of N58, 423,155.00, which was requested for release by Council to enable the execution of the stated required additional works at the temporary site (Gidan Ado Bayero) of Northwest University, Kano.

Approval was granted by the Council as requested for the release of the sum of N58, 423,155.00 to the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport to enable execution of the purposes mentioned above. b) Request for the continuation of enforcing ban on illegal Motor Parks/Street congestion and removal of barriers Along Gateways into Kano:The Honorable Commissioner Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport informed Council of the significant success achieved during the most recent six months (October, 2012 to March, 2013) period of implementation of the Government initiative on the ban of illegal motor parks, street decongestion and removal of illegal barriers/speed breakers that cause accidents along the gate ways into Kano. This was in order to ease and sustain undisturbed flow of traffic. The effort faces the problems of resistance from roadside hawkers/traders, springing up of new structures and attacks by hoodlums, etc.

Nevertheless, five (5) strategies were employed in executing activities that ensured the high level of success recorded as presented to Council. Continuation of the exercise is therefore recommended but with an increase in the number of personnel/officers of which only 250 were used before. Increasing the number of Officers/personnel to 300 will serve the purpose better and ensure higher level of success. Formerly, Officers/personnel from KAROTA, MOPOL, FRCN and Vigilante were used but supplementing the number of the workforce with Officers from the Joint Task Force will serve the purpose better. The entire exercise was recommended for extension for another three months (April-June, 2013). The financial projection of the exercise involving 300 Officers/personnel will be N12, 245,880.00.

Approval was granted by Council for the release of the sum of N12, 245,880.00 to enable the continuation of the exercise to ease traffic congestion, obedience to traffic rules and banning of illegal motor parks. c) Request for funds to sensitize the public on the duties and activities of Kano road Traffic Agency (KAROTA) through the Media:"Awareness is the mother of Caution", as the saying goes. And, contents of this memorandum maintain that KAROTA was established with the multi-focused aim of reviewing, enforcing and accessing dynamic vehicular and otherwise traffic management and control strategies to improve the free flow of traffic, improve driving conditions and enforce rules and regulations on all road networks across the State.

Essentially, the public need to be aware of the fact that the establishment of KAROTA by the present administration under the 2nd incumbency of Governor Engr. Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso, FNSE, is for their own good.

So, the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport intends to vehemently publicize everything about KAROTA through radio programs and jingles at the cost of N5, 369,652.00, which was approved. d) Presentation on the registration and regulation of Tricycle Operation in Kano and request for funds to facilitate for logistics in the implementation of the proposal:Identifying, harnessing, accessing and strategizing for legal and orthodox ways/means of tapping all categories and sources of revenue are among the cardinal resolutions of the present administration under the 2nd tenure of the astute Leadership of Governor Engr. Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso, FNSE. The whole aim is to generate and accumulate the required revenue for use in the general development and transformation process envisaged for the State.

Many such sources of revenue have already been identified, harnessed and are being tapped internationally, nationally and locally while the generated/accrued revenue is vividly and continuously utilized in the execution of development projects in various sectors. Accessed international sources of fund/revenue include Donor Countries/Organizations and Development Partners such as USAID, EU etc. while a reliable national example of sources of revenue to the State is the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program under the Office of the Senior Special Assistant OSSAP-MDGs to the President. Still, funds from the National coffers as determined by the National revenue sharing formula remain the main fuel that energizes the phase of development process in most States of Nigeria. This administration says no. Local or Internal sources of revenue have to be harnessed and tapped.

As such, the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport presented to Council that the issue of registration and regulation of Commercial Tricycles operation in the State should be extended as to include revenue collection. So far, the Committee on the issue reported having registered a total number 183,220 owners/operators of two and three wheeler (Machines) across the State and generated the sum of N18, 322,000.00 as revenue from the exercise.

Meanwhile, the Committee reported the commencement of side numbering of Tricycles for easy identification and issuance of identification cards (ID) to the operators at the cost of N700.00 per tricycle across nine (9) LGCAs comprising the eight (8) metropolitan LGCAs and Dawakin Kudu LGCA. Categorically, the Honorable Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport declared to Council that Commercial operation of Tricycles is a lucrative taxable venture in which about 6,000 estimated units of Tricycles are in operation. Most of the operators are responsible indigenous citizens of Kano State capable of contributing to the development and positive transformation of the State through prompt and regular payment of any form of tax or levy placed on them. And, this would dignify and upgrade the status of the operators in the society. Government may decide to use the services of a reputable Consultant in designing and collecting the tax/levy.

Council noted, considered and approved the release of the requested sum of N1, 800,000.00 to the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport to enable the purchase of paints, payment of Labor Charges, etc. e) Distribution of retrieved furniture items from Abuja and Kano to some Educational Institutions of the State:The Honorable Commissioner Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport politely notified Council, through the contents of this memorandum that, in the course of executing some renovation works currently in progress within and outside the State some items removed were found to be in useable condition for utilization by some Government Organizations in the State.

The Entrepreneurship Institute, Horticulture Institute, Fisheries Institute, Driving Institute and Livestock Institute benefitted from the furniture removed from the Deputy Governor's Lodge at Mississipi Street Maitama District, Abuja, Government Blocks of flats at Gwarimpa, Abuja, and Africa House (Government House), Kano.

A Committee Co-opted by the Hon. Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport judiciously/unanimously allocated all the removed Office and Home furniture items to either the identified Institutes or the Headquarters of the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport. Details on the removed/allocated items were presented for Council's Consideration, approval and endorsement.

Council appreciatively noted, considered and endorsed the presentation as approved but directed for the presentation of the final report from the Ministry.

5. MINISTRY OF RURAL AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Presentation of Report on the Rehabilitation of Vandalized Electricity Networks (Phase I) and Notification of Retirement of Unused Funds:Contents of this memorandum, from the Office of the Hon. Commissioner Ministry of Rural and Community Development, reminded Council of its approval granted via Executive Extract NO. SSCA/CA/EX/18/1/54 dated 19th December, 2012 for the release of the sum of N70, 000,000.00 instead of the requested N146, 000,000.00 to the Rural Electricity Board for the rehabilitation of twenty five (25) shortlisted projects at 14 LGCAs. Reportedly, the Rural Electricity Board prudently utilized the released N70, 000,000.00 to provide ITC maintenance to well over twenty five (25) communities across nine (9) LGCAs. A situation report on the affected areas pre and post the rehabilitation exercise was presented to Council on Video Compact Disc that showcases the pictorial situations. Notably, the project was executed on the direct labor mode by which 100% completion was achieved with a Cash Saving of N3,201,441.98.

The presentation was acknowledged appreciatively by Council, which directed retirement/remitting of the Cash Savings of N3, 201,441.98 to the Government treasury through the Office of the Accountant General. However, due to series of requests by some Communities demanding for rehabilitation of other vandalized electricity networks in their midst, Council directed the Rural Electricity Board to prepare and submit second phase of 2013 vandalized electricity networks for rehabilitation for consideration in order to consolidate Government's strive towards restoring electricity supply to areas with problems in the State.

6. MINISTRY OF HEALTH The Ministry of Health submitted two (2) memoranda for consideration by Council. Both of them were approved for execution as follows: a) Request for the release of Kano State Counterpart Funds for the Kano-Gates-Dangote Routine Immunization Strengthening Program:The Hon. Commissioner for Health reminded Council, through contents of this memorandum that, Kano State Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Gates and Dangote Foundations for the Strengthening of Routine Immunization Services in Kano State. This was based on expressed commitment of Governor Engr. Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso, FNSE to improve lives of the citizenry especially children and women. The giant stride taken was in order to address challenges facing Routine Immunization and Primary Healthcare (PHC) Services, which include issues related to Leadership and Governance, financing and its oversight, Capital Investment/Maintenance, Supply Chain, human resource capacity/management and monitoring/evaluation.

So, the trio (Kano State Government, Dangote and Gates Foundations) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Implementation of which, so far, entails the Undertaking of preliminary activities, which include among others: " Development of Routine Immunization Operational Plan. " Setting up of Program Implementation Unit (PIU). " Opening of Basket Fund Account under the State Primary Health Care Management Board (SPHCMB). " Transfer of Services and Primary Health Care Personnel to the SPHCMB. Details were presented for Council's Consideration/Perusal. Accordingly, the parties to the MOU will contribute funding annually from 2013 to 2015 to the SPHCMB Basket Fund for Immunization based on the agreed formula in the MOU as follows:

Partner Kano State Dangote foundation Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Year (2013) 30% 35%

---PIU and

Year (2014) 50% 25%

35%

Technical Support 25%

Year (2015) 65% 17.5%

Year (2016) 100% ------

17.5%

-------

Essentially, the total amount of money budgeted for the year 2013 tag-named "RI" work plan is N457, 647,808.00 for which each party will contribute the following: " Kano State 30% = N137, 294,342.40 " Dangote Foundation 35% = N160, 176,732.80 " Gates foundation 35% = N160, 176,732.80 Total = N457, 647,808.00 Importantly, provision of the MOU stipulates that release of the contributory funds by the Gates and Dangote Foundations is contingent upon the State's contribution being in place in the Basket Funds Account. As such, the Ministry of Health requested for approval by the Council for the release of the sum of N137, 294,342.40 as the State's/44LGCAs Counterpart Funding Contribution to the Routine Immunization Services based on the sharing formula contained in the MOU signed by the State Government and the two Foundations involved.

Council approved as requested for the release of the sum of N137, 294,342.40 into the SPHCMB Basket Fund Account in satisfaction of the signed provisions of the referred MOU. b) Request for funds to facilitate the installation of Mortuary Chilling Units (Body Cooler) at Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital:Council was abundantly informed, by the contents of this memorandum, of the existing pathetic situation of the Mortuary at the premier Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital. The Ministry of Health confided to Council that the existing Mortuary Chilling Units (Body Coolers) at the Mortuary of Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital were replaced more than eight (8) years ago during the first tenure of Governor Engr. Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso, FNSE to a capacity of 36 bodies at a time. These Chilling Units are presently obsolete and tend to defy all attempts at repairs which seriously affect smooth conduct of effective Mortuary Services at the premier Hospital. The situation has reached the unfortunate stage of rejecting storage of any dead bodies due to inadequate space to accommodate as well as to avoid the outbreak of diseases that could result to epidemics spreading to neighboring Communities.

As such, the Honorable Commissioner Ministry of Health proposed to the Council for the urgent replacement of the existing Chilling Units (Body Coolers) with five (5) Mortuary Cold Room (6-bodies drawers) (2480 x 2040 x 2260) and five (5) Semihemetric Refrigeration system to avert further deterioration of the situation. It will cost the State the sum of N95, 665,179.38.

Approval was granted by Council as requested for the release of the sum of N95,665,179.38 to the Ministry of Health to expedite action in the execution of the referred purpose so as to forestall any unforeseen developments at the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital and its surroundings.

MINISTRY OF LAND AND PHYSICAL PLANNING 7.

This Ministry submitted three (3) memoranda for deliberation by the Council. All of them were approved for execution as follows; a) Request for funds to facilitate the resettlement of people affected by the locating of the School of Information Technology, Kura:Contents of this memorandum submitted details on the issue mentioned above for Council's consideration. The crux of the whole matter is that the newly established School of Information Technology permanent site will be established on land owned by the Kura Local Government and some private individuals who must be relocated and compensated. This led to the proposal for the engagement of a Consultant to execute the project. Others properties affected include the defunct SDP Secretariat and its surroundings composing of residential/commercial layout, some structures including two (2) rural housing units built by Kano State Housing Corporation (KSHC).

Essentially, KSHC was directed to relocate its housing units elsewhere, the Local Government was also directed to relocate its layout while other structures were assessed and accordingly paid for by the Ministry of Land and Physical Planning.

The Ministry of Land and Physical Planning requested Council for the permission to outsource the service from a competent and suitable Consultant of which Suleiman Survey and Company was presented as most qualified. The sum of N21, 698,250.00 was the negotiated sum of money asked by the Company to plan and design the new layouts for plots to be given as compensation to those whose properties were affected.

As such, the Ministry of Land and Physical Planning requested for the release of the sum of N21, 698,250.00 by Council to enable the execution of the resettlement of people affected by the location of the School of Information Technology at its present site.

Approval was granted as requested due to the credibility of the request. b) Request for funds to enable the payment of compensation for Site (Land/Economic Trees) acquired for the construction of Bus Terminus by SHAANXI AUTO LOGISTICS and SOLUTIONS LTD:Council was politely reminded of its decision contained in Executive Extract NO. SSCA/CA/EX/4/1/326 of 2nd May, 2012 for the quick Win-Bus-Mass Transit (BMT) intervention at some selected corridors in Kano Metropolis by SHAANXI AUTO LOGISTICS and SOLUTIONS LTD. Approval was granted for the allocation of two (2) plots/pieces of land along the proposed corridors for the construction of their Bus Termini.

The Ministry of Land and Physical Planning has assessed an average of 5 hectares at Kwanar Dawakin Kudu and Jido respectively whose compensations are valued at N10, 986,250.00.

Approval was granted by Council as requested for the release of the sum of N10, 986,250.00 to the Ministry of Land and Physical Planning to enable the payment of the stated compensation so as to ensure commencement of the Win-Bus-Mass Transit (BMT) project/program. c) Request for funds to enable the payment of compensation for Air force-Base Perimeter Wall Fence on Ashton Road:KNUPDA submitted to Council, as endorsed by the Honorable Commissioner for Land and Physical Planning that, the perimeter wall fence at the Airforce base need to be relocated in order to allow for smooth construction/dual carriage way of Airport Road through Air force base Clinic to Ashton Road. This project is among those initiated by the present administration under the second incumbency of Governor Engr. Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso, FNSE. Details were presented of the extent of work required in relocating the perimeter wall fence submitted for Council's consideration.

Council was requested to approve the release of the sum of N9, 276,794.65 to facilitate relocating the perimeter wall fence at Air force base Ashton Road.

Approval was granted by Council, due to the relevance of the request, for the release of the sum of N9, 276,794.65 to Ministry of Land and Physical Planning to enable KNUPDA execute the project of relocating the perimeter wall fence at Air force base by Ashton Road to enable smooth execution of the Construction/Dual carriage way of Airport Road through Air force base Clinic to Ashton Road. d) List of identified routes banned for the use of trucks/long vehicles Council deliberated on the need to control and curtail the unnecessary plying of metropolitan routes by tracks and long vehicles.

These heavy-duty vehicles are leading to the destruction of these roads, congestion and are hazardous to the local population when parked within residential areas. Council noted with displeasure the behavior of some of these drivers of driving and parking their heavy-duty vehicles, such as tankers and trailers into residential areas. Council approved an additional (in additional to the ones earlier approved for years) ten routes banned for the use of heavy-duty vehicles, viz: a) Ahmadu Bello Road (b) Audu Bako Way (c) Abdullahi Bayero Road (d) Lawan Dambazau Road (e) Bawo Road (f) Sharada- Gidan Buhari (g) Sheka Aci Lafia (h) Gandun Albasa (i) Tukuntawa Sherada (j) Gidan Buhari- KERD Road-Kundila Estate Roads MINISTRY OF STATE AFFAIRS 8.

The Hon. Commissioner for State Affairs/Chairman Committee on Compensation respectfully reminded Council of its directive to the Committee on Compensation to look into the issue of payment for compensation submitted by the Ministry of Land and Physical Planning in respect of the acquired site for the extension of Bandirawo City.

Council was informed that the Committee on Compensation studied the details submitted and invited involved Staff of the Ministry of Land and Physical Planning for further explanations. Visitations to the site were undertaken by the Committee whose findings satisfied and fulfilled requirements/qualification for payment of compensation for the site to the tune of the sum of N56, 497,670.00 as authenticated for the request submitted by the Ministry of Land and Physical Planning on the issue.

So, approval was granted by Council for the release of the authenticated/requested sum of N56, 497,670.00 to the Ministry of Land and Physical Planning to facilitate for payment of compensation for the site acquired for the extension of Bandirawo City.

UPDATE ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE 91ST KANO STATE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL SITTING APPOINTMENT OF TWO PROMINENT INDIVIDUALS TO CHAIR BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS Council acknowledged the election of Alhaji Umar Faruk Rabi'u Dan Silaika as the Chairman of the Kano State Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture and that of Badaru Abubakar as Chairman of NASIMA. The Sitting congratulates the beneficiaries and wishes them success in their future endeavors.

USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS ON ANY EMERGENCY Council endorsed the useful phone numbers submitted by the security agents for easy access in case of any emergency on the metropolitan roads. Accordingly, the general public may easily contact KAROTA for breakdown of vehicle(s), traffic congestion, accidents, illegal/wrong parking on-08091626747. Similarly, the State Police Command could be contacted on - 08032419754, 08123821575. In addition, the State Fire Service can also be contacted on - 07051246833, 08191778888.

For update on the activities of Kano State Government click to www.kano.gov.ng/new

Signed: Hon. Commissioner, Ministry of Information, Internal Affairs, Youth, Sports andCulture

2013

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

52

NEWS

How to boost food production, by Obasanjo At the lecture of the Agricultural and Rural Management Institute(ARMTI) in Ilorin, Kwara State,discussants examined ways to revamp the agric sector.

Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo was guest speaker. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

I

T IS a yearly event.Every year,the Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI),Ilorin,Kwara State,picks a topic on agriculture and invites experts to dissect the subject. The 16th yearly lecture has been held with former President, Olusegun Obasanjo as the guest speaker. He was there in 1983 to deliver the inaugural lecture entitled:” Management in Agriculture and Rural Development: A practioner’s view.”

Thirty years after,he was there again as an agribusiness man to speak on “Managing Agriculture as a business: A practitioner’s perspective.” It was a lively session. His presence added a lot of spark to the proceedings.

In a citation to introduce him, the chairman,2013 lecture planning committee,Mr Gbenga Okeowo described Chief Obasanjo as “an embodiment and a personalification of atapatadide, a person who from a state of hopelessness, but through thick and thin,rose to become not just a success story, but a phenomenon and the pride of his race and generation.”

Obasanjo urged the audience to work together in developing agriculture as a possible solution to grippling unemployment.

H e said African governments and agro busineses have failed to take full advantage of the opportunities agriculture has presented the continent.

This ,he explained, is the reason why the continent has witnessed stagnating or declining per capital incomes and agricultural output.

1960 ,he said, saw more African countries achieve independence than any other year. Half a century later, millions of people on the continent still go hungry, despite agriculture’s huge potential there.

•Obasanjo (right) and Adesina during the lecture Stories by Daniel Essiet, Agric Correspondent

He said after 1979 almost all gains in agriculture progress in Nigeria seem to have been destroyed through indiscriminate importation and dumping in Nigeria.

His words:”I was skeptical if we could ever make it in the area of agriculture.But the progress we made between 2003 and 2007 when Nigeria grew its agricultural production by an average of seven percent per annum enhanced my optimism and enthusiasm. For instance,cocoa production increased from 150,000 metric tonnes to 400,000 metric tonnes; cassava production from 30 million metric tonnes to 50 million metric tonnes.”

H said it was heartening that the present administration has put the gear back to forward in a number of essential commodities.

According to him, for agribusiness to be embraced and upheld,a consistent and predictable policy is needed from the government.

He also said there should be clear support in all areas of the value chain.

He described how his training at Moor Plantation ,Ibadan , guided him to success in his poultry busi-

•Afolayon ness.

For him, agriculture may not make one an instant millionaire but can offer not only survival and a decent living but also a chance to rise above one’s circumstances.

Obasanjo said investments in agriculture are difficult given the risks with it. He said climate change and natural disasters were also mitigating factors in the development of the sector.

He said agriculture must be looked at in its entirety in order to make agricultural systems more resilient, thus improving crop diversity, which effectively “translates into a food security plan”.

He said it is important to build agro industries based on comparative advantage and to develop them into knowledge industries supported by research and development.

Obasanjo stressed the need to invest in agriculture while simultaneously strengthening the private sector.

He also pointed to the crucial role of farmers’ market access in raising agricultural productivity.

Congratulating Obasanjo,the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development,Dr Akinwumi Adesina said the former President had an impressive contribution to agricultural development as head of state and elder statesmen.

According to him, the ex-president’s Operation -Feed -the Nation(OFN) laid the foundation for agricultural growth.

He said Nigeria would have had no reason to import major food products if all the past lofty agricultural programmes by successive governments had been implemented to the letter. He said Obasanjo’s OFN had the capacity to focus growth and ex-

pansion in the industry.

He said agriculture in Nigeria has remained rudimentary and mostly in the hands of the resourcepoor in society.

Besides,the returns in farming are marginal, while the social perception of a farmeris quite derogatory and unattractive for the younger generation.

He said the present regime is ready to take corrective measures to repostion agriculture as a business .

The minister said this can only be achieved if farmingbecomes attractive to investors, scalable and profitable and with less drudgery.

H said the government will focus on furthering the productivity of farmers and their agricultural practices.

To meet it, Adesina said a major increase in agricultural productivity will be required and thisincrease will have to be made in a context where the climate is changing, temperatures rising, soilquality degrading and water becoming scarcer.

He said the government is working on a series of practical actions which will be implemented to have a positive impact on the problems.

Adesina said agricultural growth is crucial to economic development and social progress. It is this growth h e said that would help to lift Nigerians out of hunger and poverty.

The Acting Executive Director,Mr Samuel Afolayon ,said the institute was delighted to have Obasanjo as guest speaker.

He said ARMTI is one of the leading institutions producing manpower for the agricultural sector.

At the end of the programme, there was clear consensus Nigeria has the potential to achieve food security. Participants believe it is now Nigerians’ responsibility to realise this potential.

Some 300 participants from around the country attended the lecture. They included politicians, agricultural development experts, scientists, business leaders and journalists.

Each year, the institute presents an annual lecture that take place in its auditorium. The event encourages discussion and response on topics vital to sustainability in agriculture.

The lecture is delivered every year by a leading figure in the industry who is invited to speak about issues regarded as most important in shaping the way food is produced, distributed, marketed, sold and consumed. On his arrival,Obasanjo was led on a guided tour of facilities by the management team of the institute.

TATA secures tractors’ distribution rights

‘Our garri is producedwith protein’

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ATA Motors Nigeria has secured the distribution rights to sell and distribute the American John Deere spec brand of farming tractors.

The range includes harvesting machinery equipped to promote agriculture and help farmers plough and work on their farm lands with ease.

Manging Director of Tata Nigeria, Mr Sundeep Ray , said the tractors are fast emerging as a leading player in the market, providing stiff competition to established names.

With features such as rugged chasis and bigger loader basket, he said the tractors, which are

By Nneka Nwaneri

competitively priced, are gaining popularity among farmers.

He said the company wil give farmers, contractors and other rural businesses a flavour of improvements to the services it provides.

Tata, which said it, will provide nationwide service and dealership of the equipments is optimistic that its packages will promote joint ventures between the state governments of farming states and farmers cooperative societies.

Ray said that the company is working on facilities of easy instalment payments and urged

farmers to key into the initiative for the development of the country.

He also assured that the John Deere brands are cost effective and with all the trappings of competitive prices through the finance schemes that come with the package.

It also plans sales and distribution of top agrochemicals and agro materials to aid farmers in their cultivation.

He said:“We are here to provide solutions and improve productivity and to add value to the knowledge of the farmers.

“Tata guaranteed its prospective clients of the availability of all the machine spare parts for easy servicing.”

Cocoa farmers laud Oyo

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HE Chairman, Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN) in Oyo State, Mr Joel Ojediji, has praised the government for providing 800,000 cocoa seedlings to farmers.

Ojediji, who spoke in Ibadan ,the state capital, said the farmers needed more seedlings.

According to him, farmers had initially asked for 1.5 million seedlings.

He said that farmers’ demand became necessary following the monitoring by officials of the state Ministry of Agriculture, who inspected the nurseries and found them to be up to standard.

He said :“We will proceed to transplant seedlings from the nurseries to our farms in the month of May.” The chairman said the 800,000 cocoa seedlings were provided free of

charge by the government to the farmers through the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN).

He said from all indications, he could predict a bumper cocoa harvest at the end of the cropping season.

While praising the Federal Government’s agriculture policy, the chairman said : “The Agricultural Transformation Agenda in the area of cocoa has been highly successful.”

O make garri produced from cassava more nutritious, the Managing Director of Safe Foods Processing Farms, Mr Felix Nyong has said the company now produces the commodity with protein.

Nyong, who disclosed this in an interview in Uyo, said the protein level in garri produced by subsistence farmers was very low.“But we raised the protein content to between 12 per cent and 15 per cent and when we achieve this we knew that value has been added,” he said.

Nyong said his farm was producing cassava that could be processed into other industrial products.“In my farm, we specialise in food processing. We process cassava and grains, we also go into poultry and fishery.“ Apart from the food, we produce multiple products from cassava. We produce proteinised garri because protein has been introduced into it.“ Again, we take plantain and process it into plantain flour, and also make cassava chips,’’ he said.

Nyong, who is a retired civil servant, said: “For us, cassava flour is very important because the Federal Government is encouraging us to use it for bread.`I think our people should take advantage of this.’’

He said in the past,it was the Southern part of Nigeria that was encouraged to produce cassava because it had the ability to do so, but noted that the North is also going into cassava production.

He encouraged farmers to go into cassava production, noting that the need was enormous as it served a lot of purpose.On the challenge facing his cassava processing business, he said that the major problem his farm had was lack of machines as he could not go into full scale production.

Nyong said that his farm also served as a training ground for different groups of people and that the United Nations, the New Nigeria Foundation, Citizens International and FADAMA had worked with his farm in different capacities.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1 , 2013

53

NEWS

Group faults EFCC’s withdrawal of N150m fraud suit against ex-commissioners

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UNITED States-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), Kogi Lawyers in The Diaspora (KLTD), yesterday faulted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for withdrawing charges of alleged N150million embezzlement against two former Kogi State commissioners.

In a statement in Abuja by its President Adinoyi Malik and Secretary Olugbenga Samuel, the group noted that the anti-graft agency, in 2010, charged to court Tolorunju J. Faniyi and Abiodun Ojo, who were commissioners in the Ibrahim Idris administration, for alleged embezzlement.

The statement said the EFCC recently cleared the

From Sanni Onogu, Abuja

suspects and withdrew the charges against them from the Federal High Court, Lokoja, under questionable circumstances.

The statement reads: “This is as a clear sign of the putrefactive decay and rottenness in the agency, sustained perversion of morality and integrity, crookedness, jobbery, malfeasance and a breach of public trust.

“The EFCC sees Kogi as a very ‘fertile ground’ to despoil, maraud and plunder.

“If not, how does one explain the sudden realisation, in 2013, of what the EFCC lawyer called ‘lack of evidence and substance’ to continue with a case of corruption the

agency took to court in 2010?

“This is the same way the EFCC has failed to investigate former Governor Ibrahim Idris...”

The group noted that despite the allegations against the former governor, the EFCC has failed to prosecute him.

“But the EFCC chose to charge another former governor of the state, Prince Abubakar Audu, to a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja after taking him before four different courts and judges in Lokoja.

“This is despite a pending charge duly initiated by the same EFCC at the High Court of Justice presided over by Justice S. T. Hussaini

and the Court of Appeal, Abuja, in Appeal suit number CA/A/381c/2011, alleging the same offences committed during the same period and arising from same facts as the pending and extant charges.

“We cannot continue this way. The only way to fight corruption is to bring to justice those who have stolen public funds. Their punishment will serve as a deterrent to others who might be nursing similar plans.

“What has become clear in this circumstance is that the EFCC is appearing dangerous to Nigeria. It has aggravated a problem and elevated it to a crisis. For it to continue to go to this extent to deceive the people, there must be a lot more to it,” it added.

Anambra ex-CJ, Ekwueme’s wife lead PDP harmonisation panel

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RISIS-RIDDEN Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State has inaugurated a harmonisation committee to bring its various factions together ahead of the November governorship election.

The committee is headed by a former Chief Judge of the state, Justice Paul Obidigwe. A former National Publicity Secretary aspirant of the party, Chief Okey Muo Aroh, is the Secretary.

PDP state Chairman Kenneth Emeakayi announced the setting up of the panel at the weekend during the harmonisation rally at the Emmaus House, Awka.

Other members of the committee include Mrs. Beatrice Ekwueme, wife of former Vice-President Alex Ekwueme; former governorship aspirant, Mrs. Chika Ibeneme; former chairman of the party in the state, Mr Bright Nnebedum.

Others are: Chief Okene Umeanuka, another former chairman of the party in the state; Ozo Roma Mocha, a one-time presidential aspirant of the party; Chief George Okoye

From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

and Dr. Obi Anyoanyo.

The committee’s task, according to Emeakayi, is to enure that people like Ekwueme, Chief Chris Uba, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, Senator Andy Uba, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, among others, fully support the party’s leadership.

Despite the absence of the party’s big wigs in the state, the harmonisation rally attracted supporters from the 21 local government areas.

Addressing the crowd, Emeakayi, hailed President Goodluck Jonathan, the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and the National Publicity Secretary Chief Olisa Metuh, as well as with other members of the national working committee for ensuring that the party remained alive in Anambra State.

He said: “This is a demonstration that the grassroots have taken back what belongs to them. Today has marked the end of PDP’s factions in Anambra State with the representation of all those factions.”

Nyako condoles with ex-Governor Haruna over father’s death From Barnabas Manyam, Yola

A •Plateau State Governor David Jang (left); his wife, Ngo Talatu Jang (second left); Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu (right), his wife, Jummai (second right) with the groom and the Aide-de-Camp to Aliyu, Timothy Jamberlang, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP); his bride Maryann, during the new couple’s wedding at the ECWA Headquarters International Conference Centre, Jos, Plateau State...at the weekend

‘Many elected officers will resign this month’

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Malaysian preacher, Rev. Jonathan David, yesterday predicted that several elected officers would resign in Nigeria from this month.

The cleric spoke in Lagos, in a sermon at the Latter Rain Assembly, at Ogba, Ikeja.

He noted that God has arisen to salvage the country.

Rev David was a guest cleric of the church during its Easter celebration.

The church honoured the President, Campaign for Democracy (CD), Dr. Joe OkeiOdumakin, for the International Woman of Courage (IWC) award bestowed on her by American First Lady

•Latter Rain Assembly honours activist Okei-Odumakin

By Precious Igbonwelundu

Michelle Obama.

David, who was with his wife, Helen, said the time of elected officers has expired.

Accordingtohim, God’s judgment has come for Nigeria to be liberated.

He said: “Many elected officers will resign because God says their time is over.

April is going to be a month of beginning. New heavens will be opened.

“In the North, there will be a change of heart as there will no longer be the vengeful and revengeful killings.

The North and South shall pull their strength together as one.”

David, who took his reading from Matthew 8:18, noted that corrupt men and offices would end in Nigeria as the country moves to the other side.

“I see a lot of city takers arising. God is raising people that will change this nation. Many young men, like General Buhari, will arise to lead this nation.

“Some churches that have lowered the standard will be wiped off. There will be a fresh cry from

young people.

“For the first time, Nigerians will stop believing in men and politicians with high promises but low delivery,” he said.

Odumakin expressed appreciation to the church for the reception given her.

The activist promised to continue her struggle against corruption and the enthronement of the rule of law and social justice.

She added that Nigeria was almost turning to a banana island where corruption has become official.

Gombe council chief to relocate as four die in attacks

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HE Chairman of Akko Local Government Area of Gombe State, Alhaji Usman Bello, may relocate to Abuja following the killing of four residents of Kumo, the headquarters of the local government, on Friday night by unknown gunmen.

It was learnt that some gunmen invaded Emir Drive in Kumo at 11pm last Friday and attacked the Police Divisional Headquarters in the area.

The attackers also threw improvised explosive devices (IEDs) into the police

From Vincent Ohonbamu, Gombe

station.

But the police repelled the attackers with superior fire power.

Some residents, who spoke in confidence, said four people – including a pastor, were caught in the crossfire.

A policeman and two others died in the attack.

The assailants later resurfaced at the homes of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and the State Security Service (SSS) Officer in charge of the local govern-

ment.

Again, they were repelled.

Gombe State Police Commissioner Mohammed Sule said two of the gunmen were killed.

The police chief added that he had not completed the report on the incident.

But Bello, apparently dazed by the experience, declined comment.

The council chief said he was too devastated to speak.

The Emir of Akko, Alhaji Umar Mohammed Atiku, condemned the attack.

He described it as unfor-

tunate, adding that Kumo is known to be a peaceful town.

The monarch commiserated with the bereaved families and called for calm.

Atiku advised the residents to give the police genuine information that would assist them in their duty.

Social and commercial activities were grounded near the usually busy Emir Drive as the residents have retreated into their homes.

The police yesterday cordoned off the area and started combing it for likely discovery of unexploded IEDs.

DAMAWA State Governor Murtala Nyako has expressed sadness over the death of former Governor Boni Haruna’s father.

The governor led top members of his administration to condole with Haruna.

The delegation comprised commissioners, special advisers, other political office holders as well as party stalwarts.

They visited Yola, State capital home of the former governor with their condolence messages.

Pa Haruna, a retired soldier, died on March 24 after an illness.

In a statement by the Director of Press and Public affairs to the Governor, Ahmed Sajoh, Nyako described the death of Papa Haruna as a sad and irreplaceable loss to the family, the people of Adamawa and Nigeria.

The governor urged his predecessor to take his father’s demise as an act of God and take solace in the fact that the deceased lived an exemplary life of commitment, dedication and sacrifice to humanity.

Nyako prayed for the repose of his soul and God to support the family.

FCT area councils share N2.38b revenue allocation

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HE six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) recorded an increase of N281, 174,986.71 (13.4 per cent) revenue allocation for February.

The area councils - Abaji, Abuja Municipal, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje and Kwali - received a total revenue allocation of N2,380, 208, 667.17 from the Federation Account for February, compared to N2,099,033,680.46 in January.

The Acting Permanent Secretary, FCT, Alhaji Nuhu Ahmed, spoke on the allocation during the monthly FCT Area Councils Joint Account Allocation Committee meeting.

He attributed the increment to improved inflow from Value Added Tax (VAT) and the arrears of January Budget Augmentation.

Ahmed, who represented the Chairperson of the FCT Area Councils’ Joint Account

From Grace Obike, Abuja

Allocation Committee and FCT Minister of State, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, said N1.041 billion was received for the five per cent VAT in February as against N1.007 billion in the preceding month.

A statement by the Special Assistant (Media and Publicity) to the Minister of State for FCT, Oluyinka Akintunde, gave the breakdown of the allocations from the Federation Account as: N731.26 million from Statutory Revenue Allocation; N56.77 million from Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) and N23.10 million, being a refund by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Other allocations from the Federation Account were: N250.35 million, the arrears of January 2013 Budget Augmentation and N277.09 million, the differential between the budget and actual.

THE NATION MONDAY APRIL 1, 2013

54

FOREIGN NEWS Blast kills 10 near U.S. Consulate in Pakistan

Fighting erupts after car bombing in Mali

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HE Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for a blast that killed 10 people near the U.S. Consulate in Peshawar on Friday.

A suicide bomber rode a motorbike up to a security checkpoint a third of a mile from the consulate and detonated 22 pounds of explosives attached to his body, police spokesman Mohammad Faisal said. Along with those killed, the strike also injured 31 others, Pakistani military officials said.

Violent attacks occur frequently around Peshawar, which is in Pakistan’s northwest near the border with Afghanistan and adjacent to Pakistan’s tribal region.

Among the dead were four men and two women. No one from the consulate was injured in the blast, military officials said.

A week ago, a car bomb exploded at a nearby camp for internally displaced people, killing 12 and injuring 32 others. The Jalozai camp houses hundreds of thousands of people who have left the country’s tribal region.

Peshawar is the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is rife with Islamic extremists, including the Pakistani Taliban. It has been the site of recent clashes between Pakistani security forces and militants.

At least 18 killed in Tanzania building collapse

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T LEAST 18 people were killed, with more than 60 believed to be trapped under rubble after a building collapsed in Dar es Salaam Friday. The building was under construction and most of those trapped were laborers, or people passing by.

A municipal official said Saturday hopes have dimmed of rescuing more survivors Poor equipment hampered their efforts Dar es Salaam commissioner Said Siddiq said by telephone that at least 17 people, three seriously injured, were pulled out of the debris Friday.

Officials said construction work on the building, located on one of the busiest streets in Tanzania’s commercial center, was about to be completed and that the structure did not have tenants. Most of the people caught in the collapse of the 12-story building were laborers as well as those passing by or loitering nearby.

Some witnesses said dozens of construction workers and food vendors were in the building when it collapsed Friday morning and that scores of children were playing soccer in a nearby playground. Others said more than 200 casual laborers and engineers worked on the building regularly.

Siddiq said three engineers who worked on the building had been taken into custody for questioning. In recent years building collapses have become frequent in East African countries as some property developers bypass regulations to cut costs.

Dar es Salaam police have halted work on a 16-story building that was being built adjacent to the one that collapsed, saying the construction project needs to be reviewed. Both buildings have the same owner.

•Dr. Josephine Okei-Odumakin President Campaign for Democracy the honouree second left, with others from right, Rhonda Watson, Public Diplomacy Officer U.S Consulate General Lagos, Ms Yemisi Ransom-Kuti and Mrs Laila St Mathew Daniel at the reception on “Women of Courage Award” in honour of Dr. Joe Okei-Ofumakin on her award received from America recenlty organised by the US Consultate General Office Lagos at Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos Photo: RAHMA SANUSI

Exxon pipeline leaks oil in Arkansas

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XXON Mobil was working to clean up thousands of barrels of oil in Mayflower, Arkansas, after a pipeline carrying heavy Canadian crude ruptured, a major spill likely to stoke debate over transporting Canada’s oil to the United States.

Exxon shut the Pegasus pipeline, which can carry more than 90,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil from Pakota, Illinois, to Nederland, Texas, after the leak was discovered on Friday afternoon, the company said in a statement.

Exxon, hit with a $1.7 million fine by regulators this week over a 2011 spill in the Yellowstone River, said a few thousand barrels of oil had been observed.

A company spokesman confirmed the line was carry-

ing Canadian Wabasca Heavy crude. That grade is a heavy bitumen crude diluted with lighter liquids to allow it to flow through pipelines, according to the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA), which referred to Wabasca as “oil sands” in a report.

The spill occurred as the U.S. State Department is considering the fate of the 800,000 bpd Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry crude from Canada’s oil sands to the Gulf Coast. Environmentalists, concerned about the impact of developing the oil sands, have sought to block its approval.

Supporters say Keystone will help bring down the cost of fuel in the United States.

The Arkansas spill was the

second incident last week where Canadian crude has spilled in the United States. On Wednesday, a train carrying Canadian crude derailed in Minnesota, spilling 15,000 gallons of oil.

Exxon expanded the Pegasus pipeline in 2009 to carry more Canadian crude from the Midwest to the Gulf Coast refining hub and installed what it called new “leak detection technology”.

Exxon said federal, state and local officials were on site and the company said it was staging a response for a spill of more than 10,000 barrels “to be conservative”. Clean-up crews had recovered approximately 4,500 barrels of oil and water.

“The air quality does not likely present a human health risk, with the exception of the

high pooling areas, where clean-up crews are working with safety equipment,” Exxon said in a statement.

U.S. media said the spill was in a subdivision. Mayflower city police said the oil had not reached Lake Conway nearby.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency categorized the rupture as a “major spill,” Exxon said, and 22 homes were evacuated following the incident.

A spokesman for the Department of Transportation confirmed that an inspector from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration had been sent to the scene to determine what caused the failure. The Environmental Protection Agency is the federal on-scene coordinator for the spill.

Syria says rebels set fire to three eastern oil wells

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YRIAN rebels have set three oil wells in the east of the country ablaze, causing a daily loss of nearly 5,000 barrels of oil and 52,000 cubic meters of gas, state media quoted an oil ministry official as saying on Sunday.

SANA news agency said the damage to the oil wells in Deir al-Zor province, much of which is in rebel hands, followed disputes among the fighters over “sharing out the stolen oil” from fields in areas they control.

It said Syria’s Furat Petroleum Corporation was working to extinguish the three fires. A total of nine wells had been set on fire by the rebels, the agency added, without saying when the other six had been set ablaze.

Furat was not immediately able to comment on the report.

European Union sanctions imposed on Syria two years ago over President

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Bashar al-Assad’s crackdown on protests - which have since developed into armed conflict - effectively halted Syria’s modest oil exports.

Assad’s government has also struggled to meet domestic energy requirements after losing control of large

parts of the east of the country, where most of the oil wells are located.

But despite the fighting residents say oil production has continued in some fields, with rebels trading with local authorities and allowing oil to be shipped to government-controlled areas.

Churches hold prayers for ailing Mandela

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HURCHES across South Africa are holding prayers for Nelson Mandela, who has been in hospital for four days being treated for pneumonia.

Several hundred people gathered at the Regina Mundi church in Soweto once a focal point of the struggle against apartheid.

On Saturday, South Africa’s presidency said Mr Mandela, 94, was breathing without difficulty.

It said excess fluid had been drained from the lungs to ease his breathing.

There are no details yet on how long he will remain in hospital and no statement on his condition has been given for the past 24 hours.

After Mr Mandela was admitted to hospital late on Wednesday, President Jacob Zuma said people “must not panic”.

The former president first contracted tuberculosis in the 1980s while detained on windswept Robben Island.

His lungs are said to have been damaged while working in a prison quarry. This latest spell in hospital is his fourth in just over two years.

ALIAN soldiers backed by French fighter jets battled Islamist rebels in Timbuktu on Sunday after insurgents used a car bomb as cover to infiltrate the northern desert town overnight, sources said.

The French-led offensive in Mali has pushed a mix of Islamists out of their northern strongholds and remote mountain bases but the militants have hit back with several suicide attacks.

At least three Malian soldiers were injured in Sunday’s fighting in the ancient Saharan trading hub 1,000 km (600 miles) north of the capital Bamako, and residents were forced to take shelter indoors, Mali army Captain Modibo Naman Traore said.

“It started after a suicide car bombing around 2200 (6:00 p.m. EDT), that served to distract the military and allow a group of jihadists to infiltrate the city by night,” he said.

“The fighting is heavy and it is ongoing. We are in the process of encircling them.”

Bilal Toure, a member of Timbuktu’s crisis committee set up after the town was recaptured from Islamist control in January, said he saw a French plane firing on the rebel positions.

Officials did not say how many rebels were in the town.

The attack reflected the challenge of securing Mali as France prepares to reduce its troop presence and hand over to the ill-equipped Malian army and a more-than 7,000-strong regional African force.

Mali’s defense ministry said on Saturday that two Nigerian soldiers in the regional African force were killed when their convoy struck a mine outside Ansongo, near the Niger border.

France launched its intervention in Mali in January to halt an advance by northern al Qaeda-linked rebels towards Bamako.

President Francois Hollande said on Thursday that France will reduce its troop numbers in Mali to 2,000 by July and to 1,000 by the end of the year, down from 4,000 at present.

The West African former colony is to hold presidential and legislative elections in July - vital steps to stabilizing the gold- and cottonproducer after a military coup a year ago paved the way for the northern rebel takeover.

Karzai in Qatar with Taliban talks in focus

RESIDENT Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan has held talks with Qatari leaders yesterday, official media reported, on a visit the Kabul government has said would seek to explore the possibility of talks with Taliban insurgents on ending Afghanistan’s war.

Karzai’s trip to the Gulf Arab state, a U.S. ally which has mediated in conflicts in Arab or Muslim countries, follows years of stalled discussions among the United States, Pakistan and the Taliban about a possible Afghan settlement.

Afghanistan’s embassy in Doha confirmed Karzai’s arrival on Saturday for a two-

day visit to the Qatari capital, but declined to give any details on the purpose of the visit.

Qatar’s state news agency QNA said Karzai held talks with the emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, attended by the Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim alThani.

QNA gave no details of the discussions, and later reported without elaborating that Karzai had left the country.

Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Janan Mosazai, announcing the visit last week, said Karzai would “discuss the peace process and the opening of a (Taliban) office

for the purposes of conducting negotiations with Afghanistan.”

The Kabul government has been pushing hard to get the Taliban to the negotiating table before foreign troops withdraw.

Afghan officials have not held direct talks with the militants, who were toppled in 2001 and have proven resilient after more than a decade of war with Western forces.

Earlier this month, Karzai said the Taliban and the United States had been holding talks in the Gulf Arab state of Qatar on a “daily basis”, but the militant group and Washington denied they had resumed efforts on dialogue

that stalled a year ago.

The Taliban suspended those talks, saying Washington was giving mixed signals on the nascent Afghan reconciliation process.

However, the United States has said it would support setting up a Taliban office in Qatar where peace talks between the Taliban and Afghanistan could take place.

On a visit to Kabul last week, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry repeated a U.S. call for the Taliban to enter into talks and a wider political process.

He issued a veiled threat if they did not, saying U.S. President Barack Obama had yet to say how many U.S. troops will remain in the country af-

•Karzai

ter 2014.

Karzai has stressed the need to bring neighboring Pakistan into such a negotiation.

U.S. and Afghan officials have long said the Taliban forces have sanctuary across the border in Pakistan.

THE NATION MONDAY APRIL 1, 2013

55

FOREIGN NEWS

Brazilian doctor charged with 7 murders, may have killed 300

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BRAZILIAN doctor who was charged with killing seven patients to free up beds at a hospital intensive care unit may have been responsible for as many as 300 deaths, according to a Health Ministry investigator.

Prosecutors said Dr. Virginia Soares de Souza and her medical team administered muscle relaxing drugs to patients, then reduced their oxygen supply, causing them to die of asphyxia at the Evangelical Hospital in the southern city of Curitiba.

De Souza, a 56-year-old widow, was arrested last month and charged with seven counts of aggravated first degree murder. Three other doctors, three nurses and a physiotherapist who worked

under De Souza have also been charged with murder.

Prosecutors for the state of Parana said wiretaps of De Souza's phone conversations revealed that her motive was to free up hospital beds for other patients.

De Souza's lawyer, Elias Mattar Assad, said investigators had misunderstood how an intensive care unit works and she would prove her innocence.

More cases are expected to emerge as investigators comb through 1,700 medical records of patients who died in the last seven years at the hospital, where De Souza headed the intensive care unit.

"We already have more than 20 cases established, and there are nearly 300 more

that we are looking into," the chief investigator assigned

by Brazil's Health Ministry, Dr. Mario Lobato, said on Globo TV's Fantastico program on Sunday.

If prosecutors prove that De Souza killed 300 patients, this could be one of the world's worst serial killings, rivaling the notorious case of Harold Shipman, the English doctor who was found to have killed at least 215 patients.

Lobato said the deaths he reviewed occurred under similar circumstances: a muscle relaxant such as Pancuronium (trademark Pavulon) was administered, increasing the patients' dependence on artificial respiration; then the oxygen supply was reduced, causing death by asphyxia.

Some of the patients were

conscious moments before they died, he said.

In some cases, De Souza was absent from the hospital and gave instructions to end the life of a patient by telephone to members of her medical team, according to documents detailing the charges.

Last week, a Curitiba judge ordered the release of De Souza and her medical team.

Prosecutors sought on Monday to have her returned to custody because she was the leader of the team and witnesses had reported being intimidated.

Parana state prosecutors asked police on Wednesday to investigate whether more hospital employees, including former managers, were involved in the case.

Russia accuses US of meddling

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USSIA’S foreign ministry has accused Washington of meddling in its internal affairs, by channeling funds to non-governmental organizations to get around Moscow’s restrictions.

The complaint Saturday from Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich follows U.S. State Department condemnation of Moscow for conducting raids on dozens of NGOs in recent weeks, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

Rights activists link the searches to a controversial law forcing foreign-funded NGOs involved in politics to register as foreign agents.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters this week that Washington is providing funding through platforms outside of Russia. She called the Russian raids “witch hunts.”

Eiffel Tower evacuated after bomb threat

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RENCH police evacuated about 1,400 people from the Eiffel Tower for about two hours Saturday after an anonymous caller phoned in a bomb threat.

The tower was reopened after a search of the monument with sniffer dogs found no suspicious objects.

French authorities have stepped up counterterrorism measures in recent weeks amid heightened concern of threats over France’s military campaign against al-Qaida-linked fighters in Mali.

The 324-meter tower is one of the world’s top tourist attractions, with millions of visitors a year.

African Union hopeful of Kenya’s Peace, Unity

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•Young worshippers light candles during Easter Sunday mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem’s Old City.

PHOTO/Reuters

Bashir to make first visit to South Sudan since independence

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UDAN’S President Omar Hassan al-Bashir will visit his long-time foe South Sudan for the first time in almost two years this week, officials said on Friday, cementing new deals on oil and border security between the two countries. The African neighbors agreed this month to resume cross-border oil flows and defuse tensions that have plagued them since South Sudan seceded in July 2011 following an agreement which ended decades of civil war.

Bashir had originally planned to visit Juba a year ago but canceled the trip when border skirmishes between the countries’ armies in April brought them close to a fullblown conflict.

He had now accepted an invitation from his southern counterpart Salva Kiir to visit South Sudan’s capital Juba next week, Bashir’s spokesman Imad Said told Reuters. He gave no date.

Bashir last visited Juba on July 9, 2011 to attend the ceremony marking South Sudan’s separation.

The two countries went their

separate ways without resolving a long list of disputes over the ownership of disputed territory, the legal status of each other’s citizens and how much the landlocked south should pay to transport its oil through Sudan.

Juba shut down its entire oil output of 350,000 barrels a day in January 2012 at the height of the dispute over pipeline fees - a closure that had a dev-

astating effect on both struggling economies.

Under the new deals, both sides agreed to restart the oil flow, grant their citizens free residency in the other country, boost border trade and set up a close cooperation between their central banks.

They also withdrew their troops from their shared border as agreed in a deal brokered by the African Union in

September.

Both sides still need to decide on who owns Abyei and other disputed regions.

Around two million died in the decades-long civil war between Khartoum and Sudan’s south, fueled by religion, oil, ethnicity and ideology. It ended a 2005 peace deal that paved the way for the southern secession.

Mali troops, Islamists clash in Timbuktu

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ALIAN soldiers backed by French forces battled with Islamist militants in Timbuktu Sunday after the insurgents used a car bombing as cover to sneak into the town overnight.

Malian officers told the media that the fighting is ongoing with French planes circling overhead, and that so far, at least three Malian soldiers have been wounded. It is unclear how many rebels were in the town.

Residents of Timbuktu tell VOA that the fighting is not far from their homes, and that

some civilians have been wounded by stray bullets.

They say that they are staying indoors as the clashes continue.

On Saturday, a suicide bomber attacked a military barricade at an entrance to Timbuktu, wounding one soldier. The attack came hours after a Malian armed forces vehicle drove over a land mine, killing two soldiers.

Mali has been the target of a series of attacks claimed by Islamist insurgents since France launched a military intervention against al-Qaidalinked groups that had seized

northern Mali. France began its operation in Mali in January.

French President Francois Hollande has said France plans to begin pulling its troops out of northern Mali in April.

Analysts warn a French withdrawal could leave northern Mali vulnerable to a renewed militant takeover.

The Malian army was not able to fight the militants on its own. However, a multi-nation African force being assembled needs more training and equipment to protect Malian towns.

HE deputy chairman of the African Union (AU) has expressed confidence that Kenya’s Presidentelect, Uhuru Kenyatta could unite the country after the Supreme Court upheld his victory in the March 4th presidential vote.

Erastus Mwencha says provisions in the constitution will enable the government to function better to improve the lives of the citizens.

“The country has demonstrated that institutions are functional [that] democracy is at work [and] that the institutions have been tested to the supreme, and that has left the country united and now the country can move forward,” said Mwencha.

“The new constitution,” continued Mwencha, “has mechanisms to ensure that first of all there is now an involved system of government which brings the government closer to the people.

But above all, the constitution also has a requirement to ensure that there is best of Kenya in every aspect of the state.

And I’m sure the new leadership will take that into account and that is one way to ensure that the country is untied and the country can move forward.”

His comments came after

the Supreme Court judges unanimously voted Saturday to uphold the outcome of the presidential vote saying, the election was credible.

Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundary Commission (IEBC) declared Uhuru Kenyatta, the son of the country's founding leader, president-elect with 50.07 percent of the vote, enough to avoid a runoff.

But, Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) challenged the vote citing voter irregularities.

Odinga however accepted the ruling of the court after all of the six judges upheld Kenyatta’s victory.

President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto face charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The ICC accuses the two leaders of playing a role in Kenya’s 2007-2008 post-election violence that left about 1,300 dead and hundreds of thousands displaced from their homes.

Mwencha says the African Union is ready to work with Mr. Kenyatta and his deputy irrespective of the charges against them.

Guinea to hold polls with or without opposition

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UINEA will hold long-delayed parliamentary elections this year, to conclude its transition to civilian rule, with or without the participation of the country’s main opposition coalition, a government minister has said.

The mineral-rich country originally was supposed to hold the vote in 2011, but it was held up amid wrangling over the makeup of the electoral commission and opposition accusations that the government was planning to rig it.

Eight people were killed and hundreds more wounded during two weeks of clashes this month between security forces and opposition protesters demanding reforms before the election, currently scheduled for May 12, could be held.

Guinea’s minister for terri-

torial administration, Alhassane Conde, told Reuters the objections would not block the vote. Guinea President Alpha Conde is not related to the minister.

“Yes, the elections will be held this year, very soon, with or without the opposition,” Conde said in an interview at his office in the capital Conakry’s administrative district.

We don’t want to do it without them, but if necessary, we will go ahead and hold the election without them,” he said.

The vote is meant to be the last step in a drawn-out transition to civilian rule after a coup in late 2008 led to two bloody years with the army in charge.

Conde accused some members of the opposition of making unacceptable conditions to try and delay elections he said they feared losing.

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THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1 , 2013

FOREIGN NEWS ‘Emancipation of the Nigerian woman, a must’- Joe Odumakin

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HE total emancipation of the Nigerian woman has been described as the only tool for poverty alleviation in Nigeria. Stating this in Lagos is Dr. Joe Okei- Odumakin, Founder Women Arise Revolution and Chairman Campaign for Democracy at a round table event in her honour as a winner of the International Woman of Courage Award by the United States of America’s State Department.

The Human Rights activist lamented the state of gender inequality in all spheres of our national life including the neglect of the girl-child in some parts of the country as mere tools not worth educating. She saw the award as an inspiration that will continue to encourage her further in her commitment to fight against injustice in Nigeria and anywhere in the world.

Afenifere spokesman Comrade Yinka Odumakin, at the occasion decried the change in our collective value

By Dayo Fakuade

system, which he noted as “warped”.

Also Barrister Festus Keyamo lamented the recent pardon granted by President Jonathan on criminal elements in the country whose convictions at EFCC were attained through rigorous legal processes only to have such quashed with executive fiat.

He enjoined Nigerians to be on their toes to prevent electoral fraud in the 2015 elections in order to be able to make winners accountable to the people rather than the godfathers who foist such elements on the people.

The well attended event at the U.S Consulate General in Lagos is first of a two-day event in honour and recognition of Dr. Odumakin who is one of ten winners of this year’s annual award, which she personally received earlier this month in Washington D.C from U.S. Secretary of State Mr. John Kerry and America’s First Lady Mitchelle Obama.

Five dead in South Africa SOUTH African ’copter crash military helicopter has

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crashed during an antipoaching mission, killing all five people aboard.

The South African army announced Sunday that the helicopter was doing an aerial patrol of the Kruger National Park when the aircraft went down Saturday evening. An investigation of the cause is under way.

The five air force members were patrolling for poachers of rhino horn in the park, in response to a steep rise in

rhino poaching over the past three years.

Last week, three suspected rhino poachers were killed in Kruger Park in a shootout with park rangers.

Authorities have arrested more than 60 people since the beginning of the year for rhino poaching and related activities.

Rhino horn is in demand in parts of Asia where it is seen as a medicinal material.

•Malala Yousufzai, the 15-year-old Pakistani girl who was shot at close range in the head by a Taliban gunman on Oct. 9 in northern Pakistan, is writing a memoir. Publisher Weidenfeld and Nicolson said it will release “I am Malala” in Britain this fall.

Little, Brown will publish it in the United States. (AP Photo/Queen Elizabeth Hospital, England)

•President Barack Obama in the Cabinet Room of the White House after a meeting with, from left, Malawi President Joyce Banda; Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma; and Cape Verde Prime Minister José Maria Pereira Neves, March 28, 2013.

(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Obama hails democratic progress in Africa I

T was in front of a crowd of hundreds that leaders of Malawi, Sierra Leone, Senegal, and Cape Verde spoke about the big gains their countries have made in the last few years. For the president of Malawi, Joyce Banda, the hardest thing was restoring relations with global financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund.

“By the time I became

president we were off track with the IMF. We had to go back [to them], strengthen governance institutions, make sure that we got the level of comfort we required in order for other donors to come back, including the UK, which had cut off [budget support] to Malawi. We also

had to do several things, including to repeal all the laws that I feel were controversial and were against human rights and good governance,” she said.

For Senegalese President Macky Sall, who’s only been in power for about 12 months, it’s been a year of

China works to improve image in Africa HINA’s activities in Africa have long been a target of criticism. Its support of controversial leaders on the continent and massive hunger for resources have led some to question its intentions. Changing that perception has been a key point during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to Africa this week.

One key message President Xi Jinping has taken on his visit is that China and Africa are equals. He also says Beijing’s willingness to provide assistance with no political strings attached will continue.

University of Hong Kong professor Adams Bodomo said that so far, Xi is getting the linguistic aspect of the relationship right.

“Words like brotherhood,

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independence, we will respect your integrity and sovereignty, these are very important for Africa. In contrast with some other parts of the world where leaders come over and say Africa must do this, using the word ‘must do this’, kind of imposing,” said Bodomo.

“He’s talking the language that Africans like because they feel people who respect them people, who consider them as equal partners, that is something that we Africans will look up to.”

China’s trade with Africa is massive and totaled about $200 billion last year alone. It also tilts heavily, though, in China’s favor.

Earlier this month, the governor of Nigeria’s central bank warned African countries to shake off their romantic view of China, saying it is a com-

petitor just as much as it is a partner.

Xi is clearly aware of that perception and touched on the issue during a major Africa policy address in Tanzania.

“When seeking its own development, China has always offered as much help and support to African people as it can,” said Xi. “Especially in recent years, China enhanced its efforts to assist and cooperate with Africa. China will strictly honor its commitment to Africa.”

During the visit, China has pledged to provide professional training to tens of thousands, build up African countries’ production capabilities, and extend government scholarships to Africans in China.

At the same time, African countries need to be more intelligent about what they

2012 deadly year for World’s Journalists

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HE year 2012 was one of the deadliest years for journalists, said the Committee to Protect Journalists, with a total of 70 killed.

The high death toll was attributed to the conflict in Syria and violence against reporters in countries including Somalia and Pakistan. In its annual review of the dangers of journalism, another 232 reporters were jailed for their work.

Turkish journalists demand Syria free their colleagues during a march to the Syrian Embassy in Ankara, Aug. 31, 2012.

Most of those targeted are local journalists reporting about human rights, politics, conflict, crime or corruption, said Robert Mahoney, the CPJ Deputy Director.

“From Mexico to Syria, Russia to

economic and political reforms. It may be too early to evaluate the results. His agenda, he said, is still a work in progress.

“We are trying to improve governance, we are seeking to increase private investment, and we are trying to strengthen the rule of law and to have an independent justice system,” he said, speaking through an interpreter.

Pakistan, journalists are on the front lines confronting violence and repression as never before,” said Mahoney.

Syria was the deadliest country for reporters, with 28 killed in combat or targeted for murder by government or opposition forces. All but four of them were Syrian nationals covering their country’s conflict.

Another 13 so-called “citizen journalists,” who used their cameras and mobile phones to document the conflict in that country, also lost their lives.

In Somalia, it was the arrest and conviction last month of reporter Abdiaziz Abdinuur that has attracted international attention. He received a one-year prison sentence for insulting the government by interviewing a woman who said she

was raped by government forces.

The woman was also sentenced to one year in jail.

But in addition to the arrests, CPJ says at least a dozen reporters were murdered last year in Somalia. The militant group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for four of them.

Mahoney noted that most of the time no one is ever prosecuted for a journalist’s murder, either in Somalia or elsewhere, creating an atmosphere of impunity. “It sends a terrible message to the journalism community if one of its own can be killed and nothing happens,” he said. ?CPJ said seven reporters were killed in Pakistan, including Mukarram Khan Aatif, who contributed to Voice of America’s Pashtolanguage Deewa Radio. He was

gunned down in a mosque north of Peshawar. The Taliban claimed responsibility for that January 2012 attack.

In Latin America, journalists are harassed, intimidated and face serious threats from organized crime syndicates and corrupt officials.

CPJ Americas Director Carlos Lauria said four reporters were killed doing their work last year in Brazil. In Mexico, the situation is even more dangerous.

“In the last six years, more than 50 journalists have been killed or disappeared,” he said. “Many reporters have been brutally attacked.

Others have gone into exile. But perhaps the most devastating consequence of this wave of unprecedented violence is the climate of fear and intimidation in which jour-

want from China, said economist Aly-Khan Satchu.

“The problem with Africa is that there is no single phone number the Chinese leader can call to speak to Africa.

There are so many countries, there isn’t one letter box to go to, so in many respects we are too diverse. We need to consolidate ourselves, understand what we want from them, and then go and negotiate with them with one voice. I think that would be helpful and something we need to look at doing,” said Satchu.

Analysts say that while the risks remain, there is one way China already is different from the colonial powers of the past - its efforts to build the continent’s infrastructure.

And more is coming. China says it will extend a $20-billion line of credit to Africa over the next three years.

nalists have to do their work, which is leading to rampant censorship.”

The report also expresses concerns about the widespread jailing of journalists under antiquated and restrictive laws used to silence anti-government dissent. The report cites Turkey, Iran, Vietnam, Ethiopia and Syria as major jailers.

Perhaps the report’s one bright spot is that for the first time since 2003, the rights group did not confirm a single work-related death among reporters in Iraq. Between 2003 and 2008, Iraq was one of the most dangerous places for reporters in the world, with a total of 151 journalists dying while covering that conflict.

•Margaret Basheer is a member of United Nations Correspondent Association.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

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NEWS

New group set to reconcile Jonathan, Amaechi

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FRESH move to douse the tension between President Goodluck Jonathan and Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) Rotimi Amaechi has begun.

Some politicians and technocrats were said to have waded in to reconcile the President with the NGF chair, who doubles as the Rivers State governor.

It was learnt that the new team, referred to as “The Caucus” is behind the initiative.

Members of the new group are said to be mutual friends and admirers of the two leaders.

Some of them believed to be from the Niger Delta, are unhappy with the rift.

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

The Caucus members reportedly met a week ago in Lagos with Amaechi as part of the reconciliation plan.

The same group will soon meet with President Jonathan.

There were indications that the reconciliation might have been completed before the election of the NGF billed for next month.

A source at the session said: “We have been meeting on how to reconcile these two leaders. We believe that some opportunists had come in between the President and Amaechi for selfish reasons.

“We have mapped out our strategies to put an end to the

feud which is further polarising the Niger Delta.

“So far, we have interacted with Governor Amaechi in Lagos. The meeting was very revealing as both sides were frank. Governor Amaechi was very forthright in his remarks.

He told us that he has nothing personal against Mr. President, but with the system.

“The system, according to Amaechi is not working in the interest of Nigerians generally and we are presented with an opportunity to correct it.

He is hoping that with the governors working in conjunction with Mr. President, they can jointly correct it.

“He believes that President Jonathan is a good and a wonderful person but he

(Amaechi) is concerned that Mr. President has been unable to press that personality down to the Presidency.

“He is uncomfortable that crucial issues have been handled in-house in the interest of the party, but Nigerians interest have sometimes been compromised while we pretend to be protecting the party’s interest.’’

Another source from the Presidency said: “I am aware that some respected Nigerians, including state governors, have waded in to the matter. The President is an amiable leader, who wants peace but he is insisting that his office must be respected.

“As the chairman of NGF, there are a few things Amae-

chi ought to have diplomatically addressed instead of going public. It is in the interest of all for the rift to end.

“As a matter of fact, some government officers will buy into the reconciliation because they are close to both leaders.”

The slow pace of the construction of the East-West Road; the suit over Excess Crude Account; the management of the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF); moves to clip the wings of state governors; fuel subsidy removal; rumours over unsubstantiated presidential ambition of Amaechi in 2015 against Jonathan’s re-election bid; formation of PDP Governors Forum to undermine the

•Amaechi

NGF; and plot to remove Amaechi as the NGF chair, are some of the issues that pitted Amaechi against the President.

Jonathan on Nigeria

Nigeria loses $6b yearly Continued from page 4

Continued from page 4

He said: “An estimated 60,000 barrels per day of crude oil is stolen at Nembe Creek.

Agip also suspended production in Bayelsa because 60 per cent of its production of about 90 barrels is stolen per day.”

Ogun said it was sad that no one had ever been caught or prosecuted even when the miscellaneous offence Act provides for life imprisonment for anyone found guilty of crude oil theft or vandalised pipelines.

He urged the Federal Government to beef-up security and warned that the oil and gas sector would suspend production and supply of petroleum products if nothing was done.

Ogun called on government to deal with the insecurity problem in view of the resurgence of kidnapping and continuous bombings.

The PEGASSAN chief urged governors and chairmen local government areas to channel their security votes to step-up intelligence gathering and surveillance to nip crime in the bud .

matter our differences, let us resolve them without creating problems for ourselves or killing ourselves.

“What has been happening in the past few years, the Boko Haram crisis that we have been having, I want to assure fellow Nigerians that everything is being done to deal with this particular problem.

I know the President is doing something about it. We have talked about it, and something is certainly being done about it.

“But I am making an appeal now to those behind this Boko Haram harassment to, in the name of God and Allah; that God who we all follow, desist from doing this because God has not allow us to kill one another for his sake. So, I am asking them, in the name of God, in the name of Allah to desist from doing what they are doing at the moment.”

On amnesty for Boko Haram, Gowon said: “If it is something that can bring about peace and understanding, then why don’t we pursue it. It is an opportunity. But as Mr. President has said, let us know the leaders, who will come forward to accept this amnesty for their people.

On Soyinka’s view that the country is at the brink, Gowon said: “Well, that is his opinion.

I believe in Nigeria and Nigeria will survive. Brink or no brink”.

Inisde the church, Gowon said the grace of God sustained him while in office. He advised Jonathan to trust in God, saying: “If he continues in the faith, things would be well with him. Trust in the Lord.”

The church’s Vicar and Archdeacon, Igbein Isemede, noted that Governors-General, in the colonial days, worshipped in the church.

Isemede said Sir James Robertson was the last GovernorGeneral to worship in the church and expressing delight that the President also came to the church.

He urged all to be guided by the spirit of the season, which is love. “We cannot meet Christ until we discover that He is indeed alive, that His tomb is empty.”

President Jonathan, Gowon, his wife Victoria were presented with the copies of the church’s publication - Good Tidings - by the Chairperson, Literature and Publications Committee, Mrs Jane Edochie-Oroye.

Pope prays Continued from page 4

forgiveness, war into peace.”

The Pope mentioned troubled regions of the world in turn.

He said: “Peace for the Middle East, and particularly between Israelis and Palestinians, who struggle to find the road of agreement, that they may willingly and courageously resume negotiations to end a conflict that has lasted all too long.

“Peace in Iraq, that every act of violence may end, and above all for dear Syria, for its people torn by conflict and for the many refugees who await help and comfort.”

He added: “Peace in Asia, above all on the Korean peninsula: may disagreements be overcome and a renewed spirit of reconciliation to grow.”

Pope Francis added: “Peace in the whole world, still divided by greed looking for easy gain, wounded by the selfishness which threatens human life and the family, selfishness that continues in human trafficking, the most extensive form of slavery in this 21st Century.

“Peace to the whole world, torn apart by violence linked to drug trafficking and by the iniquitous exploitation of natural resources! Peace to this our Earth!

•From left: Bishop Coadjutor, Rev. James Odedeji; Chief Olusegun Osunkeyei; Chancellor, Justice Babasola Ogunade; Bishop Peter Adebiyi and Registrar, Mr. Bambo Adesanya at the Easter thanksgiving of the Diocese of Lagos west of the Anglican Communion at Archbishop Vining Memorial Church Cathedral, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos…yesterday

Firm gets $407.3b offer letter for Egbin power plant

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ESSRS KEPCO Energy Resources got at the weekend $407.3 million offer letter for the Supplemental Share Purchases Agreement (SPA) in Egbin Power Plc, near Ikorodu, a Lagos suburb.

The offer, transmitted by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), covers 70 per cent of Federal Government’s shares in the plant.

At its second meeting for 2013 held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) had approved the sale of 70 per cent of shares belonging the Federal Government in Egbin Power Plant to KEPCO Energy Resources for $407.3 million.

The BPE said in a statement yesterday that the Council asked KEPCO to pay 51 per cent of the plant’s shares at the 2007 valuation of $549.01 million and further pay for additional 19 per cent of the shares at the current valuation of $670 million.

•KEPCO to pay 25% within 15 days From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

In the letter conveying the NCP’s approval to KEPCO, acting DirectorGeneral of the BPE, Mr. Benjamin Ezra Dikki, said KEPCO was expected to pay 25 per cent of the money within 15 working days on receipt of the offer and the balance of 75 per cent within 90 working days.

The statement noted that in the approval, “Council directed that the BPE reserves 10 per cent of the reminder of 30 per cent (which is three per cent) for the workers and the remaining 90 per cent of the 30 per cent shares (which is 27 per cent) to be sold to the Nigerian people through Initial Public Offer (IPO) at a later date.

It said that the privatisation of the company was earlier concluded with the preferred bidder for the sale of 51 per cent on May 17, 2007 at $280 million.

An initial 10 of that bid

price in the sum of $28 million was received at the time and an escrow agreement was entered into by committing the payment of a further 50 per cent ($140 million), of the purchase price within 90 days after the conclusion of due diligence by the investor in accordance with the terms of the sale.

However, since the initial payment of the 10 per cent, the transaction could not be concluded for the following reasons: · the non resolution of labour issues, which was a major obstacle towards the take-over of the plant; · non delivery of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) and final off-take price; and · non execution of a Gas Supply Agreement (GSA).

With the establishment of clear institutional framework by the present administration for the power sector as witnessed by the op-

erational take off of the Bulk Trader, Nigerian Electricity Liabilities Management Company (NELMCO) and the Gas Aggregator; major progress had been achieved in addressing all the encumbrances that had hindered the transaction.

As a result, Council in March, 2012, approved the engagement of Messr CPCS Consortium to serve as the transaction advisers in order to revalue the plant and conclude the transaction with KEPCO Energy Resources. The CPCS submitted a technical report which stated that the plant was commissioned on May 11, 1985 with an installed capacity of 1320 MW. Furthermore, given the need to generate sufficient revenues to enable government address the large labour liabilities due to PHCN worker, CPCS recommended that 70 per cent of the company’s shares be sold to the core investor instead of the earlier 51 per cent.

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NATION SPORT

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

Marcelo: We follow Mourinho proudly

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Beckham set for Barca clash •Beckham

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AVID BECKHAM cannot wait to make his Champions League return against Barcelona.

The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder last featured in the competition for AC Milan in 2010.

Beckham is likely to feature in Tuesday’s last-eight first-

Amrabat not scared of Real Madrid

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ALATASARAY winger Nordin Amrabat insists his side do not fear Real Madrid as they prepare to clash in the Champions League quarterfinals.

The Turkish champions travel to Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday to face Jose Mourinho’s side, and although the Liga giants are favourites to progress to the last four, Amrabat is confident his side can upset the odds.

“Real Madrid are a very big club but we can reach the semifinals,” he told Today’s Zaman.

“Both coaches (Mourinho and Fatih Terim) have more than enough good experience.

I would like to get a result on Wednesday. If luck is with us we can overcome many obstacles.”

Galatasaray warmed up for the meeting with Real with a 2-0 home win over Istanbul BB, a result which took them seven points clear of Fenerbahce in the Turkish Super Lig. And Amrabat suggested the Spanish champions are perhaps the ones who should be nervous heading into the tie.

“The opposition players do not bother me,” the former PSV Eindhoven man said.

leg home tie after impressing off the bench in Friday’s 1-0 win over Montpellier.

The 37-year-old said: “Playing in the Champions League never gets boring.

“Coming up against Barca will be special.

“You try to put yourself against the best teams and players, and they’re definitely the best.”

Sammer: Bayern wants to be ‘machines’ B

AYERN MUNICH director Matthias Sammer has called upon the club to be ruthless for the full 90 minutes against Juventus tonight.

Bayern cruised to a staggering 9-2 victory in the Bundesliga on Saturday, with Claudio Pizarro scoring four for the Bavarians, although they did allow the visitors to strike twice in the final 15 minutes.

Despite the astounding scoreline, Sammer was quick to stress the importance of avoiding such a late lapse in the Champions League quarter-final first leg.

“This should not happen to us if possible,” the 45-year-old told Bild when asked about

conceding the two goals.

“We have to get a clean sheet against Juve. In recent weeks we have shown we are human.

I can understand that. But now we want to be machines.”

Arjen Robben echoed Sammer’s thoughts about banishing any complacency ahead of the clash in Munich on Tuesday, despite the result against a ‘helpless’ Hamburg leaving them on the brink of regaining the domestic title.

“Of course, a result like that makes an impression - you don’t often see nine goals scored in Europe,” the 29-year-

• Sammer

Cambiasso sorry for Giovinco challenge

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NTER midfielder Esteban Cambiasso has apologised for his horror tackle on Juventus’ Sebastian Giovinco in Saturday’s Serie A clash.

The combative midfielder received a straight red card during Inter’s 2-1 loss at the Giuseppe Meazza after a bad lunge on Giovinco in the closing

PSG boss Carlo Ancelotti wants a new one-year deal for Becks in the summer.

He added: “We’ll see. But who wouldn’t want to stay at a club like this?”

stages of the match.

But Cambiasso insisted that he had no intention to injure the Italy international.

“Fortunately nothing bad happened to him. I think that everything I have done in the past demonstrates that I never have the intention to hurt someone,” Cambiasso told the

official Inter website.

“My past speaks for itself, and they all understood the situation right away. It was an accident.

“After what had happened on the pitch, I immediately went to the Juventus dressing room to make sure he was okay.

Things could have been bad due to my foul.”

old said.

“But the result will not make us complacent. It was a dress rehearsal for the Champions League to a point but really it was more like a warm-up for the Juventus match. The opposition were helpless.”

Giovinco makes Munich trip

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EBASTIAN Giovinco and Mirko Vucinic have flown to Munich with the Juventus squad, but remain in doubt for Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Bayern.

The first leg of the quarter-final will be played in Germany on Tuesday night and the Bianconeri have already flown out on Easter Sunday.

Giovinco and Vucinic were among the group, although they did not take part in this morning’s training session.

Vucinic missed the 2-1 victory over Inter on Saturday as he was suffering from flu symptoms, but medical staff hope they can help him recover in time.

As for Giovinco, he was scythed down by a horror tackle from Esteban Cambiasso in stoppages, earning the Inter midfielder a straight red card.

There were fears Giovinco had suffered serious damage to his ankle, but the Atomic Ant is in the squad travelling to Germany and could well be on the bench.

It is reported that Juve will adopt a 3-5-2 system in Munich with Vucinic partnered by either Fabio Quagliarella or Alessandro Matri.

Another option would be to have Claudio Marchisio linking midfield and attack, leaving Vucinic as the lone centreforward.

UEFA have announced English referee Mark Clattenburg will officiate the first leg on Tuesday.

ARCELO has praised Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho following the 1-1 draw with Real Zaragoza, stressing that the team have complete confidence in his decisions .

Rodri put the hosts 1-0 up after only six minutes before Cristiano Ronaldo scored an equaliser, his 28th league goal of the season, shortly before half time.

Marcelo was keen to praise the performance of goalkeeper Diego Lopez, insisting the side is fully behind the coach’s decision to rotate the man between the posts.

“It was another good performance by Diego [Lopez],” he told the club’s official website.

“In my opinion there is no debate, we have four goalkeepers to help the team.

The coach is intelligent and everything he tells us to do we do willingly.”

The 24-year-old insists his side will continue to fight to retain their Liga title as long as it remains a mathematical possibility, and warned of a tough test against Galatasaray in next week’s Champions League quarter-final.

“Each match is hard,” the former Fluminese defender went on.

“We always want to win and a draw is never good for us, but we all ran after the ball in pursuit of victory.

“While it is mathematically possible we will fight for La Liga. I feel good, we must continue to improve and I am available to Mourinho to help the team.

“Now we are focused on the Champions League. We know that it’s a difficult match and that no team is favourite going into the clash.

“Of course I am keen to play in the match and my goal is always to train to play and to win”.

•Marcelo

Klopp: I feared for players’ safety

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O R U S S I A DORTMUND coach Jurgen Klopp admits he was concerned for the safety of his players during their 2-1 win over Stuttgart in a physical encounter on Saturday.

Dortmund had a number of casualties following the match, with a broken nose to Marcel Schmelzer and injuries to Sven Bender and Kevin Grosskreutz threatening to disrupt Wednesday’s Champions League trip to Malaga.

Schmelzer was taken to hospital after being accidentally kicked in the face in the 23rd minute and Klopp believes Stuttgart’s physical nature threatened to cause more injuries in the Dortmund camp.

“It was a good preparation for the Champions League match in Malaga as they also fly this way into tackles,” he said. “My players suffered bumps to the head, flesh wounds, bruised ribs and so on - today there was a little too much aggressiveness.

“If we had lost everyone would have said I’m a bad loser, that’s why I’m saying it anyway. Today I was often worried about the health of

• Klopp

my players - that shouldn’t be part of football! It was too aggressive and a difficult game for the referee, but we were not so much involved in it.

“It was, as I had told my team before, a super intense game.

We needed 20 minutes to get used to Stuttgart’s style and then were right in the game and created some good chances.

“Before that they had created some dangerous situations where Roman kept us in the game. The second half started in the same vein as the first.

In the end we were rewarded for our efforts. Even if it’s a close result, the win is not undeserved.”

Dortmund’s players were seething after a number of strong colllisions, with goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller claiming Stuttgart played an “unfair” brand of football.

“Football shouldn’t be played in such an unfair way,” he said. “There were some situations where players could have gotten injured - and were injured. One player suffered a broken nose, a gaping flesh wound. It went beyond acceptable.”

Midfielder Sven Bender added: “It was a very difficult game. VfB gave their all, they were committed and pushed the limits of what’s allowed.

But I think we fought back well - but within the rules of the game.”

Neven Subotic left the most scathing assessment of Stuttgart, insisting they played in an unmoral fashion.

“Men’s sport must always be fair,” he said. “I don’t try to ram an elbow into an opponent, because that’s not manly, everyone can do that, a woman can do that.”

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

NATION SPORT

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British discus thrower Okoye targets NFL dream B

RITISH athletics star Lawrence Okoye has revealed his dream to sign for an NFL team and strike it rich as the first sportsman from these shores to become an American Football star.

The 21-year-old, who is the British discus record holder, is in the United States being feted by as many as five leading NFL teams after an American Football trial in Georgia.

Okoye has a second trial next weekend in Dallas but, having discussed potential contracts and been invited for training sessions with NFL teams, the 6ft 6in, 21st athlete is convinced his immediate future lies in gridiron.

If he does make the grade, Okoye, widely tipped to be a future Olympic and world champion despite his disappointing 12th place in last summer’s final at London 2012, will not turn his back completely on athletics.

But he would miss the 2013 athletics season, the Diamond League events he had been pencilled in for and, crucially, the World Athletics Championships in August in Moscow.

‘I came over to the States for warm-weather training for my discus,’ explained Okoye, a former London Irish academy winger.

‘But when I saw that there was an American Football Regional Combine taking place in Atlanta, I applied online. And when I passed, I went along.

‘At the combine, I really stood out because of my size, strength and speed. I don’t want to sound arrogant, but I was good on the day — to the point that a lot of NFL clubs began talking to me immediately on the back of it.

They all see me as a defensive end, which suits me just fine.

‘I’ve had some meetings since, and done some private workouts with some clubs,

too, and already they are talking to me about contracts even before the Super Combine in Dallas next weekend. I’m talking about some of the best known and biggest teams.

‘With the college drafts not taking place until the end of April, I won’t be officially signing anything or becoming a pro footballer until then, but I have no reason to believe that it’s not going to happen.’

Okoye has been flirting with the idea of attempting to become one of the first British sportsmen who have lived in this country for most of their lives to succeed in the NFL. ‘From my mid-teenage years everyone kept telling me to give American Football a go, and I thought about applying for an American college scholarship when I was 16,’ he admitted.

‘I’ve always been a huge NFL fan for as long as I can remember and whenever I’ve arrived in the States the customs officers always ask me who I play for. I want to give this my best shot. It’s a rare life opportunity.’

Where does this leave his potentially successful athletics career? Okoye insists he is not turning his back on athletics, but discus will be ruled out this season.

‘If I sign up at the end of April, then I will be at a mini-camp in May, then full camp from July up to the start of the new season in September. It means I will miss the athletics season and the World Championships.

‘But I do not intend to quit athletics completely. The best age to be a discus thrower is your late twenties to around the 30-mark. In the Olympic final that was the average age, even though I was 20. I fully intend to return to throwing the discus when my hopeful football career ends, which could well be around the same time.

•Okoye

‘I won’t deny that I was very upset after the Olympic final. It didn’t go anywhere near as planned. I thought I might win a medal, but I finished 12th, and it means I’ll never look back on the London Olympics with fondness.

‘It hurts a lot, but it’s not the reason I’m doing this. I definitely have plenty of unfinished business in the sport.

‘I also hope to compete a little in the discus before then because the Football season is from September to February and,

‘Pistorius won’t be snubbed by race organisers’

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SCAR PISTORIUS would be welcomed back to certain athletics meetings when he decides to return to competition, his agent Peet van Zyl has claimed.

Pistorius is allowed to travel abroad for competitions after a judge changed his bail restrictions earlier this week as he awaits trial for killing his girlfriend.

Lawyers applied for the conditions to be changed to allow Pistorius to leave South Africa to continue his athletics career.

The 26 year-old is on bail after being charged with the premeditated murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, who was shot dead at his home in Pretoria last month.

Pistorius claims he mistook her for an intruder at his home.

Pistorius, known as “the Blade Runner”, could attempt to qualify for this year’s World Championships in Moscow.

Although van Zyl has said any return will be the sole decision of Pistorius he does not believe event organisers will be put off with the

•Pistorius

pending court case.

“He is the only one who can determine if and when he is ready to train and return to competition,” van Zyl told BBC’s Sportsweek.

“I have received through the whole ordeal emails of support from various meeting directors showing their support and condolences for Oscar and wishing him well through this tough time and they hope one day to see him back on the track.

“When the time is right we will approach competitions and I’m sure there will be guys out there who will be willing to have him back out on their track.”

It is understood the South African is unlikely to be invited

by UK Athletics to compete at the London Anniversary Games in July but International Association of Athletics Federations spokesman Yannis Nikolau said earlier this week: “It is up to the meeting organisers to invite him for the one-day meetings.

“With the IAAF events it is if he qualifies for Moscow, and then on the basis of innocent until proven guilty, he will be free to run.”

although I will have training commitments and camps, it’s possible to combine this with competing for Britain in the discus, but only if it does not compromise my Football.

‘I accept that some may question whether I can ever stick at one thing. I was good enough to be a rugby player, and I am good enough to be an international athlete, but American Football has always been a dream for me… and I’m almost there.’

As if all this is not enough, Okoye, who helped the independent Whitgift School in Croydon win the Daily Mail Cup playing on the wing and scoring in a Twickenham final, also has a place at Oxford University to read law deferred until 2017.

This date was initially agreed

GOLF: Rory McIlroy to play next week’s Texas Open

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ORY MCILROY has decided to enter next week’s Texas Open in a last-minute bid to tune up his game ahead of the Masters.

Tournament officials in San Antonio received the call just 30 minutes before Saturday’s entry deadline.

The 23-year-old had initially opted to take a week off before the year’s first Major, but patchy early-season form has forced him to alter his plans.

“I just think that a few more competitive rounds under my belt will do me a world of good going into Augusta,” the Northern Irishman told the Golf Channel.

Po”I just feel like it’s the best preparation fore me right now.”

McIlroy scraped past the oneunder cut at the Houston Open, but is nine shots off the lead heading into the weekend.

so that he could compete at the World Championships inside London’s Olympic Stadium.

‘I don’t know what’s going to happen about Oxford, either, and it’s something I’ll have to deal with once I know how my next years will pan out,’ he said.

‘Although there have been some British-born NFL players, I can’t think of many, if any, who have made the grade having been born and

lived in the UK all their lives.

‘To be a bit of a pioneer really excites me and I hope one of the benefits of becoming a professional is the sport will be less of a novelty back home and more will follow it.’

Yet Okoye’s plans will stun British athletics. Officials will see the loss of a potential medallist at this summer’s World Championships and possibly the 2016 Olympics, as an undoubted blow.

BOXING: Bellew demands Chilemba rematch AFTER missing his chance to rubber-stamp a WBC lightheavyweight title showdown, Tony Bellew is desperate to take on Isaac Chilemba again following the pair’s draw in their final eliminator on Saturday.

Bellew, backed by home support at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, felt he had done enough to get the better of Chilemba, but the judges decided no one was a clear winner and scored the bout as a draw.

Judge Christophe Fernandez scored the fight 116-112 in Chilemba’s favour,

with Eddie Pappoe feeling Bellew won by scoring the contest 116-115. Fabian Guggenheim was the judge who could not separate the pair and recorded the fight 114-114.

Bellew was adamant he had produced the goods to secure the victory, and by missing his chance to book a title showdown with champion Chad Dawson wants to fight Chilemba for a second time to rectify his errors.

“I want an immediate rematch, I’m willing to get right back in with him. I’d do

• Tony Bellew (right) has to settle for a draw against rival Isaac Chilemba

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

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SPORT EXTRA

Boateng: We can beat racism

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ACK on 3 January, during a mid-season friendly between Pro Patria and AC Milan, Ghana international KevinPrince Boateng and several team-mates became the target of racist chanting from a section of the home crowd.

Boateng reacted by kicking the ball into the crowd and walking off the pitch, with the rest of his team-mates and the AC Milan coaching staff following in support. This powerful statement caught the attention of football and even of the United Nations.

On 21 March, Boateng was invited to speak in Geneva on the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, saying “Racism is still amongst us and is still a problem. If we don’t fight the stagnation, many…could become infected with one of the most dangerous diseases of all time.”

FIFA.com: Can you tell us what you came to discuss at the Home of FIFA today?

Kevin-Prince Boateng: I had a meeting with President Blatter. We talked about racism in football and about how can find a way to fight it. He also asked me to join the task force.

What do you think the football

community can do to help eradicate racism?

First of all we have to realise that it is a very complicated subject. It’s not always easy to sanction someone or give a punishment, but I think that because we have so many intelligent people behind this now, we will find a way.

Hopefully, things will start from today.

Yesterday, you were at a UN conference in Geneva. What did you learn from it?

It was an unbelievable experience, something which was totally different for me. At the end of the conference I felt confident about the future and I believe it’s bright because I could see that a lot of people want to help, that others have been in the same situation as myself and that together we can push and win this battle against racism.

In your speech yesterday, you quoted Muhammad Ali, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela. Are they role models for you?

Definitely. Not only because they are black, but they also fought against racism. They are idols for me.

Do you feel an obligation to fight against racism, because you are

a role model for young people too?

I hope I’m a role model. But (when I walked off the pitch), it was an emotional reaction. I didn’t think it would make such a big statement. But I am happy that people saw what I did, they liked it and supported me in that. From there, we’re going to go forward to win this battle.

Tell us how you were feeling when you walked off the pitch against Pro Patria…

It’s difficult to put it into words.

There were so many emotions: sadness, anger, disappointment. I don’t want anyone to feel like that again. That’s for sure.

Have you talked with other players about discrimination?

Yes, of course – and I’m receiving a lot of support, even from players who aren’t black. That’s what gives me belief and gives me strength; the fact that others are supporting me.

When you were growing up in Berlin, did you suffer any discrimination?

Oh yes, even though it’s a city which embraces a lot of different cultures and nationalities, I suffered. But when I was younger, I just tried to ignore it because I didn’t want to confront the issues.

Now I’m a little bit older and I have a child myself, I want to do my best so that my child can grow up in a world without racism. That would be a perfect world.

It’s been mooted that a points deduction may serve as a potential deterrent to fans thinking about making racist chants. What do you think about that?

Well, I’m a football player and it’s not up to me to make that decision. However, I’m not sure that I’d like the fact that some fans

would have the power to take points from my team. Another option may be to play matches behind closed doors. But in the end, we have to be strict and hard, we have to maintain the fight against racism somehow and we must never lose focus from that.

What do you say to people who think that racist chants are just ‘part of the game’?

It’s not part of football. It’s not part of any sport and it’s not part of life. There are so many supportive songs you can sing at a stadium.

“Now I’m a little bit older and I have a child myself, I want to do my best so that my child can grow up in a world without racism. That would be a perfect world.”

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

PREMIERSHIP

SPORT EXTRA

Villas-Boas hails ´worldclass´ Bale

•Villas-Boas

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OTTENHAM boss Andre Villas-Boas has hailed Gareth Bale as ‘world class’ following his match-winning effort in their 2-1 win over Swansea.

The north London side saw off Swansea thanks to early goals from Jan Vertonghen and Bale, despite late pressure after Michu pulled a goal back for the home side.

The Welshman had a hand in both of Spurs’ goals as he set up the first and netted the second himself, before

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preventing a Swansea equaliser late on, leading Villas-Boas to wax lyrical about the winger, as well as his side’s overall performance.

“When there are so many things that go well for the team, it is hard to single out individuals but Gareth is a world-class player offensively and defensively, as he showed when he made the block at the end to prevent Swansea getting a draw,” he said.

“But the whole team deserve credit because coming here after two league defeats and playing the way we did is never easy. We spoke at halftime about trying to get the third goal to put it beyond doubt but we couldn’t and they did well to come back.

“We showed great determination and the winning mentality that surrounds us to come away and hold for a great win from home and put ourselves back on track.”

•Bale

Gerrard: My header was predicted

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IVERPOOL captain Steven Gerrard won the match at Villa Park for the Reds on Sunday and then revealed that somebody had earlier predicted his head would prove all-important.

The skipper stroked home a spot-kick after Jordan Henderson had cancelled out Christian Benteke’s opener, to hand Brendan Rodgers’ side three points at the expense of Aston Villa.

But equally important was Gerrard’s subsequent headed clearance off the goalline

from Benteke’s attempt to ensure the Reds would return to Merseyside victorious.

Post-match, the 32-year-old explained that a friend had forecast that the midfielder’s head would make a matchwinning contribution.

“One of my close friends was giving me stick about my hair before the game, and said that I might score the winner with my head today,” Gerrard told Sky Sports.

“The penalty was the winner but I think the header actually won us the game, so he was

•Gerrard

right in the end. That’s what the celebration was about.

“We had to show a lot of character, we had to raise it a little bit at half-time. We felt hard done by to be trailing at half-time.

“After the first 45 minutes we should have been at least level. But we found ourselves 1-0 down so we needed an extra ten per cent.

“That’s what you need to do: go out after half-time and score as early as you can. That gave us the belief and the confidence to go on and win the game.”

What did Rodgers say to his charges at half-time to prompt the impressive comeback?

“Keep doing what you’re doing, with a little bit more belief - take a few more risks in their final third. It came off today,” added Gerrard.

“We want to win every game and finish as high as we can. If we can maybe nick fifth or sixth, that’s what we’ll try to do.”

With Henderson thriving in an advanced midfield role in the Midlands, Gerrard dictated play from a deeper position flexibility the skipper feels runs throughout the squad.

He said: “We’ve been doing that all season, flipping it from two holders and one in front to one holder and two in front. We have the personnel in the squad to adapt to what the manager asks for.”

Jagielka hopeful of top-four spot

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EFENDER PHIL Jagielka is confident Everton can push their rivals for a Champions League place right up until the final day of the season.

Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Stoke courtesy of Kevin Mirallas’ 70-yard run and finish built on the win over defending Barclays Premier League champions Manchester City before the international break.

The Toffees are now only four

Martinez proud of Wigan character

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IGAN manager Roberto Martinez praised the efforts of his players after they made it two wins on the bounce against Norwich on Saturday.

•Martinez

Arouna Kone struck nine minutes from time to hand Wigan a 1-0 victory at home to Norwich, their second successive win in the Premier League and third in four matches.

Wigan climbed out of the relegation zone on goal difference as a result and Martinez commended his side’s efforts.

“It was very important (to win) as you can imagine, I think the points they are vital to try to increase the points tally,” Martinez told Sky Sports after the game.

“But today was more important than that. Today was to find a way to perform after an international break which historically for us has been very, very difficult.

“Today we had to find that extra character to keep a clean sheet against a Norwich side

who are the best team in the Barclays Premier League in dead-ball situations and we all know how organised they are and how well they do to keep a clean sheet.

“So I’m extremely,

extremely proud. I think it is one of those performances that probably we weren’t at our best in terms of the style and the fluent possession that we always have because we had a few tired legs as you can expect.”

points adrift of the top four, and Jagielka said: “We’d like to think we can prolong the chase as long as possible. If we’re going into the final game of the season still in with a chance of Champions League football then we have to look at that as a fantastic season.”

He went on: “Unfortunately for us it is a season when five or six teams at the top rather than two or three are performing well.

“It seems like Spurs have played well again and won, Arsenal have so everyone seems to be desperate for that fourth spot and we’re desperate to be in there as long as possible.

“You can only work with what you are given and I am sure the manager would have loved to have had a lot of money in the January

window when we were up there in a better position (they were in the top four in late December) than we are now.

“But it is hard to wish for things which are not going to happen.

“The manager has got the players he’s got, he has done the best he has with the players he has got in and when I look around the dressing room I’m happy with the players we have trying to get us into fourth spot.

“We are - as far as spending is concerned - a little bit below the other teams but I am sure they won’t look forward to playing us as much as we are looking forward to playing them.”

Redknapp wants stay

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ARRY REDKNAPP would like to remain in charge at Queens Park Rangers next season, but appreciates that relegation may cost him his job.

The vastly-experienced coach was drafted in to the Loftus Road hot-seat in November and charged with the task of preserving QPR’s Premier League status.

He has overseen an upturn in fortunes, but the club remain inside the drop zone - seven

points from safety with just eight games remaining.

Redknapp remains confident that he can steer a course to safety, but has made it clear that he would like to remain at the helm for 2013/14 regardless of the division QPR find themselves in.

He said: “It is up to the chairman and board what they want to do if we go down.

“And whatever they want to do is fine with me.

“If they say they are looking to go another way, then it would

not be a problem.

“But I like it here and am happy. I don’t even think about going down. It doesn’t enter my mind.”

Redknapp claims to be enjoying life back in club management, but concedes that he could have walked away from the game had QPR not come calling - with the former Tottenham Hotspur boss having spent five months out of work after leaving White Hart Lane.

•Jagielka

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

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SPORT EXTRA

Kalu Uche hits goal No. 16 in Turkey

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I G E R I A international, Kalu Uche continued his scoring form in Turkey as he scored his 16 th goal of the season helping Kasimpasa to a 2-0 victory over Bursaspor at Recep Tayyip Erdoðan Stadium on Sunday.

Bosnia-Herzegovina midfielder, Senijad Ibrièiæ opened scoring for the home side in the 26th minute before Uche sealed the victory for Kasimpasa in the 94 th minute to move Kasimpasa to the third spot Turkish Super Liga table behind Galatasaray and Fernerbahce with 43 points after 27 games.

After being left out of Stephen Keshi’s team that went on to win the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, Uche was also not part of the 15 foreignbased players invited by the coach for the Super Eagles 11 draw with the Harambee Stars of Kenya in a World Cup qualifier in Calabar a fortnight ago.

Elsewhere in Turkey, Super Eagles Captain, Joseph Yobo did not feature in Fenerbahçe’s 2-0 home win over Akhisar Belediyespor to move to the second spot on the table, while out of favour Super

•Yobo missing in Fenerbahçe’s victory •Mikel, Moses fail to lift Chelsea •Martins falls with Seattle Sounders

By Akeem Lawal Eagles and Sivasspor striker, Micheal Eneramo inspired his side to a 3-2 win over Orduspor at the Sivas Stadium. Eneramo scored in the 5th minute with a superb header after a fine assist from team mate Erman Kilic.

Eneramo played all 90 minutes of the encounter.

Ex-Nigeria U-20 star, Isaac Promise tasted 90 minutes of action for Antalyaspor but could not prevent his team from going down 2-0 at Trabzonspor. Same also is Simon Zenke, who saw 86 minutes in the colours of Istanbul BB but ended up on the losing 2-0 to Didier Drogba’s Galatasary.

In England, Super Eagles and Chelsea duo of John Obi Mikel and Victor Moses made the starting line-up for the European champions, Chelsea but the Blues were handed a 2-1 away defeat by Southampton on Saturday.

While Moses played all 90 minutes, Mikel saw 72 minutes of action before

being replaced by Ramires.

Saturday’s loss at St Mary’s allowed Tottenham Hotspur to move above Rafa Benitez’s side into third place, while fifth-place Arsenal’s victory over Reading leaves them just two points adrift of the Blues.

After series of rant on twitter, out of favour Super Eagle striker, Peter Odemwingie returned to WestBrom squad but tasted only 19 minute of action against West Ham United at Upton Park.

Odemwingie provided West Brom with more fire power when he was introduced by Steve Clarke in the 71st minute, but could do nothing as they were beaten 3-1 by the Hammers.

At Goodison Park, Nigeria’s Victor Anichebe played from start to finish but couldn’t register a goal to his name as his club side Everton’s bid for Champions League football alive with the only goal in a 1-0 victory to increase Stoke’s worries as their slide down the table

•Kalu Uche

LDMM, Lobi Stars’ opponent’s tricks revealed

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IGERIA’S CAF Confederation Cup hopeful, Lobi Stars who will leave the country today (Monday) ahead of their Friday’s First Round Second leg tie in Maputo, Mozambique will be up against their opponents Liga De Muculmuna which will parade 11 senior international players.

NationSport’s investigation revealed that the elite Mozambique side boast of 9 players that have been capped at senior level by the Mambas of Mozambique while the remaining 2 are players of neighbouring Flames of Malawi.

The names of LDMM stars that are featuring for Mozambican national team are Francisco Miocha, Zainadine Junior,Almino Lobo, Momed Hagi, Reginaldo Far, Helder

From Tunde Liadi, Owerri Pelembe,Yoao Aguiar and Apsone Manadate.

While the two players that have been capped by the Malawian national team are Zicci Mkauda and Josephy Kanwendo.

Though they lost the first leg 3-1 at the Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Bauchi LDMM gave Lobi a tough time and even led 1-0 for most part of the game before two goals in the injury moments of the game turned the tide in favour of the Nigerian flag bearers.

LDMM are coached by Lilos Luis Carvalha. The club founded in 1990(about 23 years ago) has won two league titles(2010 and 2011) and lifted the Mozambican Cup once(2012).

Meanwhile, Lobi Stars will

depart Nigeria via the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja today (Monday)with a 35 man contingent comprising 20 players and 15 officials.

According to a statement made available to NationSport by Club’s Vice Chairman, Dominic Iorfa, the Makurdi based club chose to travel on Monday to avoid travel congestion cum cancellation.

His words:”We chose to jet out with the first flight option through Ethiopian Airline to Maputo . The next alternative would be flying out on Wednesday. Risking a flight cancellation for a match scheduled for Friday.”

Lobi hold a slight advantage having beaten LDMM 3-1 during the first leg played two weeks ago.

continued.

In Scotland, Super Eagle defender, Efe Ambrose was in action for 90 minutes as Celtic recorded a 1-1 draw away to St Mirren in one of the Scottish Premier League match played at the St. Mirren Park on Sunday.

Nigeria’s Ambrose was instrumental in getting Celtic their solitary goal as his clever chip found Kris Commons, who headed into the net from close range.

Super Eagles striker, Obafemi Martins return to Seattle Sounders after the international break and made his first start in second appearance for the MLS side against Real Salt Lake in the early hours on Sunday.

The home team took the lead courtesy 8th minute strike by Robbie Finley and and Luis Gil made it two with 10 minutes left in the first half, to give the team a 2-0 half time lead.

Sounders finally found a footing when Brad Evans pulled one back for the visiting Sounders with 57 minutes played. As the visitors search for equalizer, Martins was substituted by David Estrada in the 62 nd minute. The game ended 21.

In Italy, Super Eagles midfielder, Ogenyi Onazi was on for 63 minutes as Lazio came from a goal down to beat Catania 2-1 at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday. He was replaced

by Brazilian midfielder, Honorato Campos Ederson.

As expected injured Super Eagles midfielder, Joel Chukwuma Obi by Inter Milan in their 1-2 Derby d’Italia loss to Juventus at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on Saturday In Russia, Nigerian forward Victor Obinna Nsofor was on the losing side on Saturday as his Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow went down 2-0 to Rubin Karzan in a Russia premier league week 22 tie. Nsofor who has only two goals to his credit in 18 appearances for Lokomotive in the current campaign played as a second half substitute coming off the bench to replace Tarasov in the 46th minute.

In China, out of favor Super Eagles forward Peter Utaka scored brace to help his side Dalian Aerbin to a 3-3 score line on Saturday in the Chinese Super League week two fixture against Shanghai SIPG at the Jinzhou Stadium.

Utaka’s double means he now has two goals in two league matches and will hope to surpass his 2012 tally of 20 goals that saw him come second on the top scorers chart for last season.

Nigeria striker, Yakubu Aiyegbeni also scored on the second match of the new season for his Chinese club, Guangzhou R&F on Sunday but his goal fail to rescue his side as they were beaten 3-1

by Hangzhou at the Yellow Dragon Sports Center. He now has two goals in two matches.

Rangers, Heartland win •Ten-man Warri Wolves hold Enyimba in Aba

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RIENTAL clubs Rangers and Heartland recorded home victories to increase their lot on the Nigeria Professional Football League(NPFL) table after Week 5 round of matches across Nigeria.

The Flying Antelopes battled against previously unbeaten Kwara United and defeated them 3-1 to race to second on the log with 11 points from five games.

Adamu Mohammed got Rangers’ curtain raiser in the 10th minute but the Afonja Warriors evened scoreline in the second half through Dare Ojo. Rangers however had the last laugh after two goals in the last 5 minutes handed three vital points to the CAF Champions League hopeful through Chinedu Sunday (85th minute)and Oduokpe Oghogho(90th Minute).

The Enugu-based club are second on the log only to Kano Pillars who secured their second road victory in Ilorin against ABS. Heartland also went goal berserk at Owerri ahead of their second leg, first round of their CAF Confederation Cup game

From Tunde Liadi in Owerri against US Bitam of Gabon this weekend in Libreville.

The Naze Millionaires spanked visiting Gombe United 4-0 with three goals already in their kitty within the first 24th minutes of the first half through Happy Okuoka(2) in the 4th and 24th minutes and Isah Akor in the 7th minute for his 3rd goal of the season.

Ikechukwu Ibenegbu’s 70th minute strike ensured the game ended as a contest with over 20 minutes yet to be played.

Heartland improved to seven points on the log from five games.

At the Enyimba International Stadium, Aba, Enyimba couldn’t penetrate the thick wall of defence of Warri Wolves who lost a manOjo Mine in the 59th minute for a second bookable offence.

Wolves marshalled by Super Eagles’ defender, Azubuike Egwueke and Thankgod Ike defended resolutely to secure second point in three seasons at Aba.

Former U-20 boss warns against overhauling the Flying Eagles

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X-FLYING Eagles’ coach, Samuel Abimbola has warned against disbanding the Nigeria’s U-20 national team despite the team’s inability to defend the crown in Algeria.

The U-20 national team left for the African Youth Championship which so much hope after despatching their opponents during the qualifiers with aplomb but after only their opening game in Algeria against Mali where the team spurned so many scoring chances and eventually lost 1-0 Nigerians were forced to make a rethink.

Though the John Obuh-led team managed to qualify for the semi finals and a place at the FIFA U20 World Cup in the process, their lack of firepower in front of goal after creating chances became their achilles heels as they were dumped out by the Junior Pharaohs of Egypt 2-0 in the last four.

They ended up with the bronze medal after Aminu Umar’s double handed them a victory in their 2-1 win over the Young Eagles of Mali who had beaten them in the Group B opening encounter.

Speaking with NationSports on the overall results of the Flying Eagles, coach Abimbola who

From Tunde Liadi, Owerri was with Obuh during the 2009 FIFA U17 World Cup and the U20 version two years ago before his controversial exit praised the team for nicking a ticket to the World Cup for the country.

He nonetheless cautioned against overhauling the team entirely with barely two months to the World Cup stating it would be counter productive.

Abimbola however recommends. Fortification of the players and correction of other gray areas noticed to ensure that the Flying Eagles are ready for Turkey 2013.

“I will urge us to be cautious and not to throw away the baby with the bad water. Even though scoring was a problem in Algeria, they were still a good side.

If we remove the head coach and also disband the team, it won’t be the solution with less than two months to the World Cup. Let them add more players to replace those that were found wanting and to get the necessary corrections to their inability to convert most of the chances that came their way,” Abimbola counselled.

Tennis instructor stresses need for early camping

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BEL UBEIBI, an International Tennis Registry (ITR) Instructor, has said that early camping of athletes, especially for international competitions, will facilitate early detection of athletes using banned substance.

Ubeibi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in a telephone interview on Sunday that early camping usually give the medical committee time to ascertain the true health status of players.

“Early camping of athletes, especially for international competitions, is very important, because it will give the authorities the opportunity to monitor the players. Some of the athletes might have unconsciously taken banned substances, but when they are under the guidance of health experts in a camp, this can easily be detected.

“Early camping also affords the

medical committee the opportunity to determine the health condition of athletes and to make sure that they are fit for the competition,” Ubeibi said.

He said that it was common knowledge that international sporting organisations usually carry out random doping test for athletes before any international competitions.

Ubeibi, therefore, urged the national federations to first tidy things up at home before allowing their athletes to go for any international competitions in order to avoid international embarrassment.

He advised athletes representing the country in international competitions to be good ambassador and to avoid anything that could tarnish the image of the country.

The instructor urged coaches to foster good relationship with their players for proper execution of their training programme.

THE NATION MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

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SPORT EXTRA Kano Pillars beat ABS FC 3-2 •3SC survives Wikki scare

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•Ajagun

CAF picks Ajagun in 2013 AYC XI

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LYING EAGLES’ skipper, Abduljaleel Ajagun as well as left back, Ali Goyi have been picked by CAF in the team

of the 2013 AYC. The AYC first team was dominated by tournament finalists Egypt and Ghana with third-placed Nigeria

providing two players in the 18-man squad.

Ajagun played a free role as the Flying Eagles finished third at the tournament and

Saturday Boxing Show, good platform for future potential, says former champion

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ASHEED LAWAL, the first champion of the annual Gov. Babatunde Fashola’s belt in 2009— at the monthly “Saturday Boxing Show’‘— has described the event as a good platform for identifying future potential.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Fashola’s belt, which holds every December, is the high point of the monthly show, and is meant to discover the best boxer for the year.

The show is being promoted and financed by Olawale Edun, a former Lagos State Commissioner for Finance and currently, the Chairman, Lagos State Boxing Hall of Fame (LSBHF).

Lawal told NAN on Saturday at the 40th edition of the show, held at the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Centre, Yaba, that amateur boxing had really developed in Lagos through the show.

The former champion, who now trades his professional skills in Germany, said he had benefited a lot from the show, because it equipped him for his current form.

“The show is a good platform for young boxers because it will help them to develop their talents and prepare them for future challenges in boxing. I thanked Mr Edun for his initiative of promoting boxing and sustaining this programme, because it has helped to discover lots of talents from the grassroots,’’ he said.

The 29-year-old Lagosian, who won gold medal for Lagos at the 15th National Sports Festival in 2006 in Ogun, urged young boxers at the show to be focused in their career.

Lawal also appealed to young boxers to imbibe the techniques of the sport and obey the instructions of their coaches, for their future to be bright.

The boxer, however, added that he was still shopping for a good manager who would help him achieve his goal of winning a world title.

NAN reports that in the nine bouts of the show, Kazeem Lukman of Badagry Pioneer Club, in the 56kg, defeated Olanrewaju Olakode of Lion Club.

Samson Taiwo of Golden Star defeated Akeem Adekunle of Always Club in the 64kg.

In the female bouts, Ramota Olaniyi of Always Club defeated Tawa Awise of No Shaking Club in the 48Kg, while in the 80kg, Fatimah Shittu of Day by Day Club humbled Mariam Akintunbowa of Lecturer’s Club.

Tobi Adedeji of Great Lam High School, Oshodi, in the 49kg exhibition bout for

students, defeated Kola Okejimi of Alakotojun High School, Mushin.

Wahab Adeniyi of Azeey Primary School, Bariga, in the 23kg exhibition bout against Adeshina Adeniyi of Great Leader Primary School, Bariga, threw in the towel.

Dimeji Lawal set to wed

A

member of Saudi 1989 'Daman Miracle' squad, Oladimeji Lawal has concluded all arrangements to get married to his heartthrob, Abimbola Ayoade.

The low key marital event according to Lawal’s family source will hold in Ibadan on April 6, 2013.

Though the former Super Eagles’ right winger is said to be keeping the arrangements close to his chest, but we can reveal that most of his colleagues in the footballing world will grace the event.

A close associate of the ex-

Kilmarnock beats registration deadline, signs Nigeria’s Papa Idris

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C C O R D I N G information gathered by allnigeriasoccer.com's Editorial staff, Scottish Premier League club Kilmarnock have successfully beaten the registration deadline and have signed the Nigeria international stopper Papa Idris.

It was reported on Friday that Papa Idris, 23, signed a three year deal with Kilmarnock, who sit sixth on the table after Saturday's 1 - 0 win over Ross County.

But the necessary paperwork was absent and the Scottish club had been racing against the clock to formalize the contract.

won two Man of the Match awards.

Goyi will make the bench of the dream team according to the CAF technical study group for this competition.

Both players are featuring in their second AYC after they starred at the 2011 edition in South Africa.

Surprisingly, Goal King Umar Aminu with four goals in as many matches did not make this squad.

Champions Egypt supplied eight players including AYC MVP Gomaa Salah and goalkeeper Mossad Awad, while beaten finalists had five players.

Now, everything is in place and Papa Idris, who has been granted a work permit, will leave for Scotland as early as Monday evening subject to availability of flights.

In addition, the very efficient administrative department of the Nigeria Federation has sent Idris's International Transfer Certificate to Scotland.

Papa Idris will link up with two Nigeria internationals - Reuben Gabriel and Rabiu Ibrahim. - at Rugby Park.

He had attracted interest from teams in France, Italy and Croatia before pitching his tent with Kilmarnock.

international popularly known as Kabongo disclosed to newsmen in Ibadan that “Kabongo decided deliberately not to print official invitation cards. This is to reduce the number of people that will attend”.

He added that the former Shooting Stars player who already has two kids from his former London based wife does not want to make the wedding an elaborate one.

The couple will visit the registry after which a modest reception will hold at KS Motel Hall, Total Garden, Ibadan.

It would be recalled that Lawal after his retirement from active soccer close to a decade ago has acquired a FIFA player’s license and has been helping unattached or club-less footballers through his All Stars Football Club located inside Obafemi Awolowo Stadium Ibadan.

•Dimeji Lawal

ILLARS got their second away win after defeating ABS FC 3-2 at the Kwara State Stadium, Ilorin, on Sunday.

Nafiu Ibrahim put visiting Kano Pillars ahead in the opening minute of the game before Gambo Mohammed doubled Pillars’ advantage seven minutes later.

Abdulrahman Bashir, who was the highest goalscorer in the League last season, missed several chances to pull one back for ABS as the visitors held unto their lead going into the break.

Lordson Ichull converted a 20-yard free-kick for ABS before Buhari Musa restored Pillars’ two-goal cushion.

Ichull struck again later in the game, but it was not enough to ignite a comeback.

In Ibadan, Wikki Tourists almost staged a sensational second half fight back, but the Bauchi lads fell just short, as they lost 3-2 to Shooting Stars at the Lekan Salami Stadium at Adamasingba, on Sunday.

The Oluyole Warriors had taken a 3-0 lead in the first half, but lax football in the second half almost cost them the game, as Wikki Tourists almost turned it into a game

of two halves.

Azeez Shobowale opened the scoring for Shooting Stars after just 17 minutes, and 'Balotelli' Gbolahan Salami doubled the home side's advantage 10 minutes later.

Resurgent midfielder, Moses Ogaga kept his promise of being back to contribute, when he scored his second goal in front of Ibadan fans with a third with just 37 minutes played.

But it all almost went awry as Wikki fought back in the second half, and were rewarded when Victor Alegbe pulled a goal back for the visitors with 59 minutes played.

Then, Alaba Johnson sent the game into a frantic last final five minutes, when he scored a second for the visitors, but Shooting Stars held their nerves to claim the third victory in a row at home.

WEEK 5 RESULTS 3SC 3-2 Wikki Tourist Enyimba 0-0 Warri Wolves Sharks 0-0 Dolphins Nembe City 2-1 El Kanemi ABS 2-3 Kano Pillars Heartland 4-0 Gombe Utd Rangers 3-1 Kwara Utd Akwa United 3-0 Bayelsa Nasarawa 3-1 Kaduna

Jossy Lad’s family commends UCH

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HE family of the ailing former Super Falcons’ Coach, Jossy Lad has congratulated the management of University College Hospital (UCH) for stabilising the health of their bread-winner who had been receiving treatment at the hospital after he was diagnosed with heart related ailment.

Speaking with newsmen at the Southwest ward 3 of UCH where the 72-years-old sweat merchant was admitted, his first son Wale Ladipo was full of thanks to the Chief Medical Director of the teaching hospital Professor Temitope Alonge, who he said had shown great concern since his father arrived the hospital. ''The CMD has shown great concern towards the health of my dad here, he has made it his daily routine to visit and examine him to know his state not to mention when he would pay for his medical test from his pocket”, Wale noted.

Meanwhile, following the recent visit of the Hon Minister/ Chairman National Sports Commission Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi to University College Hospital (UCH) where he commiserated and donated cash to the of the critically ill exinternational, the National Sport Commission has collaborated with an Ibadan based radio, Splash FM 105.5 to appeal to spirited sport loving Nigerians to raise funds for the treatment

of the coach.

This development has been commended by the Director General, National Sport Commission, Patrick Ekeji, who described the gesture of the radio station as a good omen which is in line with the Federal Government’s Public Private Partnership (PPP) policy.

He, therefore, appealed to Nigerians to come to the aid of the first captain of the club-side (IICC) that won the first continental trophy for Nigeria in 1976.

The idea according the Zonal Coordinator, South West Zone of the National Sport Commission (NSC) Dr. Steve Olarinoye was conceived at a meeting held with the Chairman and founder of Splash FM, Chief Adebayo Akande, the Agba-Akin of Ibadanland, where they see the urgent need to appeal to members of the public to save the life of the exinternational who is bed-ridden.

The Ibadan high Chief expressed his gratitude to the National Sport Commission for the brilliant idea and immediately swung into action by summoning his key staff to set the ball rolling.

He ordered that a bank account be opened in the name of the sick coach, with the family member of Jossy Lad, Splash FM accountant and the Zonal Coordinator being the signatories to the account.

Baseball and Softball association fixes dates for scorers, umpires clinic

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HE LAGOS State Baseball and Softball Association (LSBSA), in a bid to improve the skills of its technical officials, had scheduled scorers and umpires clinics for April 11 and April 12.

Robert Onwukwe, LSBSA Technical Director, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos that the clinic would hold at the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Centre, Yaba, Lagos.

Onwukwe said that the clinic

was important, and would help the officials enhance their proficiency and update their knowledge.

The director said that the clinic, the first to be organised for technical officials this year, would also keep them abreast of the latest rules and regulations in the game.

“The clinic is to ensure that the technical officials are acquainted with the latest rules of the sport, and to aid the growth of the sport in the state,’’ he said.

WHO SAID WHAT

MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

VOL 8 NO 2,445

‘"The lack of diligent prosecution of arrested suspects by responsible agencies, such as the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the police is responsible for the rising oil theft in the Niger Delta."’

DELE EZEOBA

C OMMENT & D EB ATE EBA

B

ARELY two decades ago, poet and playwright Femi Osofisan delivered a broadside, and it was as a keynote speaker at an annual convention of the Association of Nigerian Authors. According to the big-eyed lover of theatrics, only two serious Nigerian authors inhabited our literary firmament: Wole Soyinka and Niyi Osundare.

Not a few writers and critics were scandalised by his claim. Many thought it was deliberately contrarian, an act of drama by a dramatist to draw attention to himself not by the pithy wisdom of his declaration but the mere vanity of it. He was a public desperado banging his shoes to gain attention.

The first question thrown at him was predictable: What of Chinua Achebe? Wearing a glum mien almost as defiance, he maintained his assertion and said many people paid attention to Things Fall Apart, and that was not even his most accomplished work.

At the time, I was in my mid-20s and just beginning to overcome my illusion from my teen years. I was weaned on Things Fall Apart, read it, worshipped its creator and placed Achebe as the preeminent deity in the literary pantheon not only on the African continent but all over the world. But how many writers did I know and how many books had I read?

How skilled was I in the art of appreciating the collaborations of words into narratives?

But as I grew out of my naivety towards the end of my years at the Obafemi Awolowo University, renouncing Achebe as a god of literature was like a shock of atheism in the church. I was abandoning the temple, unfrocking the priests and demystifying the canon. I became an apostate in the true religion. I felt conned by my breeders. I ate the poisoned diet, malnourished by untutored chefs.

Literature belongs to a complex world, and because everyone can pick a novel or play and read, the impression often comes across that it is everyone’s game. George Bernard Shaw said snidely that “vocations are a conspiracy against the laity.” He was right. Not everyone can be a medical doctor, or software analyst or Supreme Court judge. Everyone can sing but not everyone can tell why a good song is great although they have their personal attitudes and predilections. Not everyone can postulate on good literature.

Achebe’s works were good literature, but whether he wrote a great novel, leave that to those who know.

I never intended to write another column after last week’s in which I echoed William Shakespeare when I characterised Achebe as a self from self. That is, he struggled with alienation throughout his life.

Since the bard’s death, many people either by subtle references or direct barbs have tried to do two wrong things. First, they claimed he deserved the Nobel Prize but was deprived. Two, that Achebe was greater than Wole Soyinka. By inference, they claimed that Soyinka did not earn the prize and the wise men of Stockholm ought to have given

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Achebe versus Soyinka

•The late Achebe

•Soyinka

the medal to the author of TFA. How come the father of African literature did not win the pre-eminent prize? The phrase, made popular when he won the Booker Prize Lifetime honour, has been appropriated to imply that Achebe was No. 1 on the continent. So why did he not win the prize? First, TFA was a great book not because of its literary properties but because of its ideological potency. The Nobel Prize does not go to a novelist whose work is signposted by sociological fixations supplanting narratives with long pages of

how Igbo villages are organised. When Osofisan asserted that TFA was not his best book, he meant that more attention should go to Arrow of God, a better book. So why do his admirers say less of Arrow of God but pay more encomiums on TFA. It is because they are struck by the timely power of the book.

The West, embraced TFA for its introduction of its peoples to the dignity of African society, a thing they did not care to glean from accomplished works that came before TFA. Even the writer, Amos Tutuola, with his Palm wine Drinkard, came long before. But the west wanted an African to write like them so they could applaud him. And Achebe did it in a simple language.

Did he succeed by using the language as a tool of subversion? Hardly. For a sampler of that sort, read Yambo Ouologuem’s Bound to Violence. TFA was a story of a clash of culture, which was nothing new. He wrote about the assertion of local pride, which was hardly original. But it was a counter-narrative, and it was done with gusto and minimal dexterity, and that was enough for them. They were amazed at the manipulation of proverbs and other manifestations of local colour. But the proverbs were never original, just like many of the proverbs in Ola Rotimi’s The Gods Are Not To Blame.

The other novel often quoted was A man of the People and critics have credited him with prophetic insight. The novel predated the 1966 coup. But it was hardly original because

HARDBALL

L

the conversation was already in the air on the continent. So he wrote good works, not great works, not textured by deeper insights that you would see in better accomplished works.

Achebe was nominated severally for the Prize, but he did not get it because his works had to be weighed against the competition, other works also nominated by various groups. It was the comparison that exposed his works. If TFA was not his best work, it goes without saying that it was a book that thrived on popularity not subtlety. Literature is not about the popular text. It is about high art. If Achebe influenced a generation of writers, that makes him a great writer. But it is a testament to theme and not artifice.

Soyinka, on the other hand, won based on his plays and poems. If we were to judge by popularity, many would pick the Lion and Jewel and the Jero Plays as Soyinka’s masterpieces. But far from it. They compare in richness to TFA. Many who cavil at his prize have probably not read the following: Death and the King’s Horsemen, Madmen and Specialists, Kongi’s Harvest, A dance of the Forest, The Road, Opera Wonyosi, among others. Each of these works is a stunner, primed with layer after layer of thought and meaning wrapped in narratives.

Those who read TFA like clockwork may be put off by some of Soyinka’s opus. So they should not obsess out of ignorance. They should read first. If you knock Soyinka on obscurity, you have a right. But high art is not always easy to understand. Those who claim to enjoy TFA cannot write a literate essay on the book and why it is high art.

Because of his stature as a playwright, some downplay his other gifts. In the Nobel citation, he was also praised for his prison Notes, The Man Died, as well as his long poems like Ogun Abibiman, which I guess many readers have not even heard of.

It is true that some great writers are passed over for the prize. But few disagree that those who win deserve the accolades. The other Nigerian I expected to win was Christopher Okigbo, who was tragically lapped up by the Civil War. Achebe was a good story teller. Turning from a raconteur to an art of sublimity and depth belongs to the masters. Because of his influence on a continent, I compare him with Samuel Johnson of the Shakespearean era.

He was described as a great writer but not a great artist.

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above

UN ‘offensive’ brigade in DRC not the solution

AST Thursday, the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved the deployment of about 3,100 peacekeepers in the restive eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The peacekeepers, according to a report, have received orders “to carry out targeted offensive operations and attempt to neutralise armed groups.” The approval anticipates that the intervention force or offensive brigade will be stationed in the North Kivu province in the eastern part of the country where government forces have so far unsuccessfully tried to pacify a rebel group there called the March 23 Movement or M23. The war in the region between the army and rebels has led to the displacement of over a million people, while an additional 300,000 in the southeastern province of Katanga have also been displaced.

The DRC has for long been a seething cauldron of rebellion, chaos and death. Barely a few months after independence, Joseph Mobutu, then a colonel, exploited the power struggle between President Joseph Kasavubu and Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba and helped it to degenerate irretrievably. The ensuing crisis created room for foreign intervention and eventually led to the death of Lumumba at the hands of a coalition of Belgian, American and Moise Tshombe-led Katangan separatists. After a long, brutal and exploitative rule, Mobutu was overthrown during the First Congo War (1996-1998) by a rebel coalition led by the late President Laurent-Desire Kabila. He was helped in no small measures by Ugandan and

Rwandan forces.

By 2001, however, Laurent Kabila was assassinated, but not before the misunderstanding with his backers, particularly Rwanda, had degenerated in 1998 into the Second Congo War (1998-2003). He was succeeded by his son, Joseph.

This latter war cost an estimated five million or more lives, reportedly the deadliest conflict in the world since World War II, and millions more displaced. It sucked in nine African nations and more than 20 armed groups. For a country of more than 75 million people and an untapped natural resource endowment estimated at some $24 trillion, it is no wonder that the struggle for the country’s rich mineral resources is partly responsible for its instability.

One of the factors that triggered the Second Congo War was the struggle between Hutu and Tutsi armed groups who made themselves available for proxy battles between Kinshasha and Kigali. The eastern part of DRC, particularly North and South Kivu, is destabilised by the Banyamulenge, who are ethnic Tutsis. The Tutsiled Rwandan government has always found it convenient to support the Banyamulenge armed group, the Rassemblement Congolais pour la Democratie (RCD), against Kinshasha, especially in view of the activities of the defeated and weakened Hutu-led Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). The Hutu militias threaten Rwanda with cross-border raids.

Apart from the restiveness of Kasai-Oriental Province, particularly the Ituri region, there is also the uncontrollable Mai Mai rebel group created by Laurent Kabila in northern Katanga.

In effect the DRC is unsettled by a combination of economic, ethnic, domestic and international political factors, though the country is predominantly Christian. Until these factors are resolved, it is hard to see how the UN’s offensive brigade can pacify the eastern part of the DRC. It must not be forgotten that many peace deals had been signed and had collapsed under the weight of ethnic tensions and foreign intervention and meddlesomeness. It is recalled that the very first peacekeeping operation Nigeria was involved in was in the Congo. Incredulously, Chad, a smaller country than Nigeria, has shown keener interest in the DRC, had even once sent troops to intervene there, not for peacekeeping but as combatants, and had also shown interest and intervened in Central African Republic (CAR). Nigeria is perhaps too preoccupied with its own troubles to attempt to match South Africa in CAR, and Chad in both CAR and DRC. If the UN hopes to make any headway in the DRC labyrinth, it must actively go beyond the February 2013 peace deal signed in Ethiopia by 10 or 11 countries (Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Congo, the Republic of Congo, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania) to bring peace to the DRC. A brigade may prove unable to resolve the long-running Congo crisis where peace deals are routinely broken because of greed and deep-seated domestic and foreign mistrust. The country’s potential wealth and ethnic pastiche are simply too explosive a mix to respond quickly or easily to a brigade of offensive peacekeepers.

...APRIL FOOL

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